Couple Charged in Alleged Fraud

WOODLAND HILLS — Theft charges were filed against a couple Tuesday who authorities allege tried to bilk the government by claiming to be homeless after the Northridge earthquake.

Abdol Air Vahedi, 34, and his wife, Lidia Walden Vahedi, 36, were charged with one count each of grand theft and theft through false pretenses. The Vahedis are accused of falsely applying for financial assistance from the city’s housing authority after the Jan. 17, 1994, temblor.

The Vahedis claimed to have lived in a Sherman Oaks apartment damaged in the quake, but were actually living in a Glendale apartment, the city attorney’s office said. The couple ultimately received $6,181 in emergency housing subsidies.

Authorities also allege that the pair had bought their $300,000 Woodland Hills home but did not disclose that fact when they applied for financial relief.