A California couple who was convicted of massive fraud, obtaining COVID-19 relief funds using false identities, fled their home leaving a farewell letter to their children.
Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and his wife, Marietta Terabelian, 37, cut off the electronic tracking wristbands that monitored their movements and left their home, leaving behind a typewritten note for their children, 13, 15 and 16, as reported by the CNN news network.
"Someday we will get back together," the letter said, according to Ayvazyan's lawyer.
"This is not a farewell, but a brief separation," he added.
The couple paid for a lavish lifestyle at the expense of federal pandemic relief funds.
The FBI offers a reward of $ 20,000 to find the whereabouts of both.
The couple, along with Ayvazyan's brother Artur, were convicted in June of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
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The family operated using false or stolen identities using the names of deceased persons, or foreign students who had spent time in the country.
They applied for 150 federal pandemic relief loans on behalf of fictitious San Fernando Valley businesses.
In addition, they falsified payroll and other documents to access the money destined for the affected small businesses.
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The fraud of the couple, Artur Ayvazyan and five other conspirators financed a lavish lifestyle that allowed them to buy mansions in Southern California, diamonds, watches and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to prosecutors.
They were due to know their sentence this Monday, so they had not yet entered prison and were being kept under electronic surveillance.
In absentia for their escape, Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian were sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Richard Ayvazyan leaves Federal Court in Los Angeles in June.Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
“When our nation was at its most vulnerable, these individuals thought only of lining their pockets.
These sentences reflect the seriousness of these crimes, ”said Ryan L. Korner, agent for the IRS Office of Criminal Investigation.
For his part, the couple's lawyer, Ashwin J. Ram, said prosecutors painted an exaggerated image of their clients.
Ram does not rule out that they have been kidnapped by the other conspirators.
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The minors are now under the care of their grandmothers and a legal guardian, and they have submitted an application to travel to Armenia, arguing that they have relatives there since Richard Ayvazyan is a migrant from that country.
