California man arrested for allegedly stealing millions in homeless funds

U.S.

California man arrested for allegedly stealing millions in homeless funds

Authorities raided the multi-million-dollar Los Angeles home of a man accused of stealing tens-of-millions of taxpayer dollars

Rachel Wolf

Matt Finn

Madison Colombo Fox News

Published

January 23, 2026 1:03pm EST

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Gavin Newsom claims $24 billion in homelessness funding is ‘accounted for’

Former Trump campaign deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine discusses Gov. Gavin Newsom’s, D-Calif., responds to allegations of fraud in his state on ‘Fox News @ Night.’

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California officials have arrested a man who allegedly used tens-of-millions of taxpayer dollars meant to house and feed the homeless to fund his lavish lifestyle, Fox News has learned.

Law enforcement took the man into custody in a pre-dawn bust at his multi-million-dollar mansion in Los Angeles. Federal authorities, who claim the man used the funds to make improvements on his luxury home, later arrived to tow his Range Rover.

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Tents of homeless people are seen on a sidewalk amid rainfall on Jan. 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

The bust comes after independent journalist Nick Shirley, who worked to expose the fraud scandal in Minnesota, told Congress that the fraud in California could be "worse" than what he found in the North Star State. Shirley made the remark in response to a question posed by Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., about whether his state was showing similar signs of fraud to what was seen in Minnesota.

"Fraud in California might be even worse than the fraud in Minnesota," Shirley said. When asked to elaborate, he noted the missing $24 billion in homeless funds, as well as various other projects and issues that, in his opinion, appear to signal fraud.

Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference about 'New Funding for Homelessness and Mental Health Efforts' and criticized President Trump that ICE agents movement over immigrants and citizens', in San Francisco, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Earlier this month, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli dubbed Gov. Gavin Newsom the "king of fraud."

"California has spent $24 billion in the last five years on homelessness, and no one can account for where that money has really gone," Essayli told "Fox & Friends" earlier this month.

Richard Lopez, left, a Help of Southern Nevada Homeless Response Team lead, Rayvonte Toliver, center, and Zabrena Quinn, both of a Help of Southern Nevada outreach workers, check out homeless encampment at Mountain Vista Street and Russel Road wash, on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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In April, Essayli launched a task force to investigate corruption in California, with a focus on homeless services. The task force has already resulted in federal charges against two men accused of using real estate projects to exploit the state’s homelessness system for personal profit.

Essayli said those cases, which involve millions of dollars in alleged fraud, are only the "tip of the iceberg."

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

California man arrested for allegedly stealing millions in homeless funds