A couple living in California (United States) were sentenced on November 15.
Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and Marietta Terabelian, 37, were sentenced to seventeen and six years respectively.
At the end of August, they abandoned their children after organizing a large-scale Covid-19 aid fraud,
Capital
reports
according to information from
CNN
and the
New York Times
.
The couple fled, leaving a note to their three teenagers aged 13, 15 and 16.
“We will be together again someday.
This is not a goodbye, but a brief pause, ”they wrote.
At present, Richard Ayvazyan and his wife have still not been found by the police.
The FBI has promised a reward of $ 200,000 to anyone who provides information leading to their arrest.
If the two Americans decided to take the loose, it is because they risked jail.
Bank fraud, electronic fraud and money laundering
With the help of other defendants, they embezzled no less than $ 20 million from the relief fund intended for small businesses in the context of the health crisis. "The defendants have used the Covid-19 crisis to steal millions of dollars in much needed government aid intended for people and businesses suffering from the economic effects of the worst pandemic in a century," said US prosecutor Tracy L. Wilison . The money would have been used in particular to buy mansions in California, gold coins or even diamonds.
During a trial last June, the couple, but also the husband's brother, had previously been convicted of bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Richard Ayvazyan and his brother were also convicted of aggravated identity theft.
They used fake or stolen identities to apply for approximately 150 federal loans for bogus businesses.
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California
Miscellaneous
FBI
Fraud
United States
Coronavirus
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