California Family's $18 Million COVID-19 Fraud Inspires Senate Bill to Combat 'Fraudster Families'
A California family, led by Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian, swindled $18 million in COVID-19 relief funds, using the money for luxury items such as a Harley-Davidson, diamonds, and high-end homes. After being convicted of fraud, Ayvazyan and Terabelian cut off their ankle bracelets and fled the U.S., leaving their three children behind with a goodbye note, before being apprehended in Montenegro. This case, along with others totaling $50 million in fraud by various 'fraudster families' across the country, has prompted Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to introduce the 'No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks Act.' This proposed legislation aims to prevent individuals living with convicted criminals or fraudsters from receiving federal grants, loans, subawards, or reimbursements. The bill includes exceptions for spouses living separately or survivors of domestic abuse. Senator Ernst highlighted 15 such families in her 'Squeal Award' for August, an initiative to expose government waste, fraud, and abuse. 
