Montenegro arrests Armenians who stole $18 million from covid fund in California

Three criminals from the FBI's most wanted list in the COVID-19 fraud scheme were detained in Montenegro. They have been hunted since August 2021, when their relatives claimed they were kidnapped, but federal authorities said they turned off their location trackers and fled the state, reports NBC.

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Federal authorities said Feb. 23 that three members of the San Fernando Valley family were detained in Montenegro, accused of removing their tracking bracelets and running after they were convicted in a COVID-19 fraud case. in the amount of $18 million.

Richard Ayvazyan, 43, his wife and co-defendant Marietta Terabelyan, 37, and his sister-in-law Tamara Dadyan, 42, were arrested on February 22 in a small mountainous country in southeastern Europe.
They have been missing since 29 August.

(Corrected) Richard Ayvazyan, 43, & Marietta Terabelian, 37, were found guilty in $21 million bank/SBA fraud & are set to be sentenced. The pair allegedly cut monitoring bracelets & are considered fugitives. Please call 3104776565 if you have info as to their location #TipTuesday pic.twitter.com/pyyGOMiVF4

— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) September 1, 2021

The three were among eight family members convicted of stealing more than $18 million in COVID relief loans and using the money for extravagant expenses such as down payments on luxury homes, designer bags, clothing and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

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It was not immediately clear how their extradition to the United States might end. The FBI had no immediate comment.

It's been a strange story from the very beginning.

In November 2021, Ayvazyan and Terabelyan were sentenced in court despite a failure to appear, which their family says was due to their kidnapping, apparently to prevent them from revealing the identities of the uncharged accomplices, according to court documents.

The couple and two relatives were found guilty in June 2021 of conspiring to file fraudulent loan applications in which they and others received more than $18 million in paycheck protection and economic damage loan programs that they used to pay down payments for luxury homes. in Tarzan, Glendale, and Palm Desert, as well as buying other high-end items such as gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, luxury watches, imported furniture, designer bags, clothes, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Ayvazyan "harassed the elderly (including those with disabilities) and foreign exchange students who spent only a few months in the United States a few years ago and now live thousands of miles away in a foreign country," prosecutors wrote.

The defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Ayvazyan was also found guilty of aggravated identity theft.

According to the US Attorney's Office, a Los Angeles federal jury ruled that the defendants must confiscate bank accounts, jewelry, watches, gold coins, three houses and about $450 in cash.

Evidence showed that defendants used fake or stolen identities to make fraudulent loan applications. In support of the allegations, the defendants also submitted forged documents to creditors and the Small Business Administration, including forged identification documents, tax documents, and payrolls, prosecutors said.

Before sentencing, four accomplices pleaded guilty in the criminal case.

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However, the FBI said the couple, who face years behind bars, removed their location tracking devices, left a note for their children, and fled their Encino home together. The next day, a Los Angeles judge signed court warrants for their arrest.

In November, Ayvazyan was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison and his wife to six years in prison, according to the US Attorney's Office. Ayvazyan was the alleged mastermind behind the criminal gang.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Russian-speaking California couple stole over $20 million from COVID-19 relief funds. They were sentenced to prison for fraud.
• But Richard Ayvazyan and his wife Marietta Terabelyanturned off their electronic bracelets tracking and left their home in California, leaving their three teenage children behind.

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