Prosecutors: Globetrotting couple lived it up while collecting $135K in welfare

(CBS/AP) SEATTLE - A globe-trotting couple living in a $1.2 million home are being sued by the U.S. attorney for collecting more than $100,000 in welfare in the past eight years, say federal authorities.

Chiropractor David Silverstein and his wife Lyudmila Shimonova are accused of filing false claims for more than $135,000 in federal housing assistance since 2003. The lawsuit seeks to have the couple pay $11,000 in fines for each false claim made.

Although the couple took trips to Moscow, Paris, Israel, Turkey and Mexico together, Shimonova allegedly gained Section 8 housing assistance by saying she lived alone with her two children and that her household assets were less than $5,000. According to the government, Silverstein received monthly benefits of $1,272 as her purported landlord.

Shimonova said she lived in the home alone, but Silverstein listed it as his residence on his driver's license and passport. Prosecutors say that documents show Silverstein listed his office as his residence so he could receive housing assistance.

Shimonova also received money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as Social Security cash set aside for people who can't work due to age or disability and whose assets are less than $3,000 for a couple, said the complaint.

While investigating the couple, agents saw Silverstein's black Jaguar parked at their 2,300 square foot home on Lake Washington.

Prosecutors also say that in addition to failing to disclose her living or marriage situation, Shimonova also failed to disclose bank accounts in her name containing tens of thousands of dollars.

The U.S. attorney's office would not comment on whether criminal charges are pending.