LA Metro worker, state employee among 8 charged with defrauding $177K in low-income assistance

So much for public service.A Los Angeles Metro employee and a state government worker are among eight people accused of ripping off taxpayers to the tune of more than $177,000 in public assistance while allegedly hiding their salaries, rental income and other assets from the government cutting their checks.The alleged scams included a state employee pulling in as much as $6,000 a month while claiming she had little or no income, and a transit worker collecting government benefits after landing a job with the agency responsible for public transportation across Los Angeles County.Nadya Daniels, 41, of Inglewood, allegedly pocketed more than $21,000 in CalFresh benefits between April 2023 and April 2025 while repeatedly claiming she had no income or worked part-time at a retail store.Prosecutors say Daniels was employed by the state’s Employment Development Department, earning between approximately $4,500 and nearly $6,000 a month in gross income.Nyeisha Nicole Taylor, 41, of Los Angeles, allegedly collected more than $17,600 in CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits between November 2021 and August 2022, despite being hired by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January 2022 and earning approximately $1,850 a month.The two public employees are accused of repeatedly signing benefits applications and recertifications that prosecutors say contained false information.“Public benefits are a lifeline for struggling families, not free cash for fraudsters,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Thursday.“While public assistance fraud is a small fraction of the total benefits distributed, even one person who takes advantage of the system is one too many.”The other cases include some eyebrow-raising alleged financial disclosures.Ogi Buyan, 50, of Santa Monica, allegedly collected more than $47,000 in public assistance while holding two investment accounts with combined monthly balances ranging from $60,000 to more than $1 millio...