<p>A boat. A Jaguar. Nice trips abroad. Donations to charity. A million dollar house on the lake… This couple had it all (except the miniature giraffes), supported in part by… the federal housing assistance money - to the tune of $1,200/month:</p>
<p>[Feds:</a> Couple claimed welfare, lived in $1.2M home | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016947132_apuswelfaremilliondollarhouse.html]Feds: ”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016947132_apuswelfaremilliondollarhouse.html )</p>
<p>
A Seattle chiropractor and his wife live in a $1.2 million waterfront home and have spent the past eight years flying to Moscow, Paris, Israel, Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.</p>
<p>All the while, federal authorities say, the couple was collecting more than $100,000 in welfare.</p>
<p>Now, the U.S. attorney’s office is suing David Silverstein and Lyudmila Shimonova, accusing them of filing false claims and demanding that the couple pay back more than $135,000 in federal housing assistance since 2003. Prosecutors are also seeking tens of thousands of dollars in fines.</p>
<p>In gaining Section 8 housing assistance, Shimonova represented that she lived alone with her two children and that her household assets were less than $5,000. Silverstein received the monthly benefits of $1,272 as Shimonova’s purported landlord, the government said.</p>
<p>Shimonova also received benefits under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as Social Security cash reserved for people who can’t work due to age or disability and whose assets fall below a certain threshold - $3,000 for a married couple or $2,000 for a single person, the complaint said.
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<p>I really hope that they will be eligible for free housing in the nearest future… at a local jail.</p>
<p>Yes, I caught this story the other day… I would love to hear how they were caught!</p>
<p>How many others are doing this? Any others caught with a scheme like this?</p>
<p>Also, the comments reacting to the article were very interesting.</p>
<p>What staggering gall! How the he!! did they get away with it?</p>
<p>That article reminded me of these folks.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2016943088_nicole06m.html?prmid=4939]Nicole ”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2016943088_nicole06m.html?prmid=4939 )</p>
<p>Eight years ?!!</p>
<p>I volunteer in a food pantry. Clients get recertified for food stamps every six months and must show tax returns.</p>