A Los Angeles couple convicted of helping steal $21 million in coronavirus relief funds is on the run after allegedly severing their ankle monitors, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Forty-three-year-old Richard Ayvazyan and his wife, 37-year-old Marietta Terabelian, are now considered fugitives, the Associated Press (AP) reported Wednesday.
The FBI’s social media post included photos of the couple, and the agency asked citizens to contact authorities if they had information as to their whereabouts:
(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 AP article continued:
The couple, Ayvazyan’s brother and a Glendale man were convicted in June of scheming to submit phony loan applications for federal COVID-19 business relief funds. They were scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4 and were potentially facing decades in federal prison. Four other people had pleaded guilty to various charges in what prosecutors said was a scheme that involved using fake or stolen identities to apply for loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds obtained were used for down payments on luxury homes and for items such as diamonds, fine imported furnishings, designer bags, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to a June 29 announcement issued by the U.S. attorney’s office.
“Seeking quick riches, the defendants stole federal funds intended to help Americans harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic carnage left in its wake,” Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison said at the time.
“The verdicts in this case are the first in this district resulting from a pandemic-related fraud scheme, and we are prepared to bring additional defendants to justice as we continue our efforts to safeguard our nation’s disaster-relief programs,” Wilkison continued.
Breitbart News reported in May eight men from New York City allegedly defrauded the federal government out of $2 million in coronavirus relief funds, then flashed the money in photos online, according to prosecutors.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.