Seattle chiropractor David Silverstein and his wife Lyudmila Shimonova have spent the last eight years taking exotic trips to Moscow, Paris, Israel, Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, all while living on welfare checks.
Fedreral authorities discovered that the two have been living off of more than $100,000 in welfare and housing assistance since 2003, all while living in their $1.2 million waterfront home.
Shimonova gained Section 8 housing assistance, by claiming that she lived alone with her two children and that her household assets were less than $5,000. Silverstein pocketed monthly benefits of $1,272 as Shimonova's purported landlord.
She was also receiving 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.
The two are now being sued by the government, who seeks to have the couple pay $11,000 in fines for each false claim the couple made.
Source: old.news.yahoo.com
