'Octomom' charged with welfare fraud for concealing earnings

Nadya Suleman, who gained fame as "Octomom" after giving birth to eight babies, has been charged with welfare fraud after failing to report US$30,000 in earnings while she collected public assistance, authorities said.

Suleman, whose real name is Natalie Denise Suleman, was ordered to appear in court on Friday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement on Monday. She was not immediately taken into custody.

Suleman was charged on January 6 with one count of aid by misrepresentation and two counts of perjury by false application. If convicted, she could face up to five years and eight months in jail.

Since their birth, the single mother has tried to support her huge family in a variety of ways, including by endorsing birth control for pets, making a pornographic video, posing for semi-nude photo shoots and participating in celebrity boxing matches.

Last year, she spent several weeks in a rehabilitation centre for what her former publicist said was anxiety, exhaustion and stress.

Efforts to reach Suleman for comment through recent associates were not immediately successful. There was no telephone listing for her in Orange, California, where she most recently lived.