Woman facing 10 years in prison in COVID fraud joins couple on the run, FBI says

A Southern California woman facing 10 years in prison for her alleged role in a $20 million COVID-19 fraud ring has vanished, joining two others also on the run in the case, FBI officials said.

Tamara Dadyan, 42, of Encino failed to report to begin serving her sentence and cannot be found, the FBI reported Feb. 3 on Twitter.

Her brother-in-law, Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and his wife, Marietta Terabelian, 37, disappeared in August ahead of their own sentencing hearing in the case, McClatchy News reported. They all remain missing as of Feb. 8.

The convicted scammers fraudulently obtained more than $20 million in Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds intended for COVID-19 relief, prosecutors said.

The fraud ring involved eight people, all related to one another, officials said. They are accused of using fake or stolen identities to apply for 150 loans and using the money to buy luxurious homes in Tarzana, Glendale and Palm Desert, along with gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, luxury watches, imported furnishings, designer handbags and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Ayvazyan and Terabelian, who later received 17 years and six years in prison, respectively, cut off their ankle monitors and fled their home in August, according to the FBI.

Ryan Heaton of the FBI told KTLA there was “some surprise” when Dadyan failed to show up to begin serving her prison sentence.

“Certainly having a lot of money at your disposal can make it more difficult for us to locate you,” Heaton told the station.

“I don’t know where the heck she is,” her attorney, Joseph Benincasa, told NBC News. “I have not had contact with her.”

FBI officials ask that anyone with information on Dadyan’s whereabouts call 310-477-6565.

This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 8:23 AM with the headline "Woman facing 10 years in prison in COVID fraud joins couple on the run, FBI says."