'Octomom' Porn Fraud News 2014: Octuplets Mother Pleads No Contest to Welfare Fraud Charges
California "Octomom" Nadya Suleman, who became famous in 2009 after giving birth to the longest-living octuplets, accepted a charge of welfare fraud Monday after failing to disclose income from video and personal appearances.
Suleman, 39, collected more than $26,000 from welfare to care for her 14 children while failing to report her income from a porn video, published topless photos and boxing matches -- which she did as she struggled to support her children, according to The Associated Press.
She filed for bankruptcy in May 2013, but the case was dismissed over problems with paperwork, according to CNN.
TMZ reported Suleman received about $25,000 for her video.
She collected $26,286 from welfare and had to pay back $9,805 to Medi-Cal and $16,481 to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, according to The Associated Press.
She was sentenced to 200 hours community service as well.
The charges initially carried a possible jail sentence of up to six years, but authorities said they had hoped to work out a deal to keep the mother with her children.
All 14 children were conceived by in-vitro fertilization and the fathers' identities have never been revealed.
"We could have litigated, there were a lot of issues we could have raised," her attorney Arthur LaCilento said about the possibility of a trial. "But she wanted to resolve this case quickly and not go through a public ordeal."
Despite shielding her children from the public eye, Suleman has been less restrictive about herself.
She initially pursued the adult entertainment industry in April 2013, saying she was willing to do it for financial stability, but that she would not touch another person in the video, according to CNN.
She received an offer and, according to her representative, promoted the video by performing at a strip club in Florida in May 2013.
Suleman said she wanted to build a business "empire" to provide a stable future for her children and believed it is a battle she needs to win in order to be a role model for other women.
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