Encino Couples Charged with Defrauding PPP Program

Two Encino couples were charged Tuesday for allegedly submitting dozens of fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration.The defendants are Richard Ayvazyan and his wife, Marietta Terabelian; Ayvazyan’s brother, Artur Ayvazyan, and his wife, Tamara Dadyan. All four were charged with a count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and six counts of wire fraud.The indictment alleges the group used fake and stolen identities and fake business information including tax documents and payroll records to apply for 35 or more SBA loans through the CARES Act’s Economic Injury Disaster Relief program and Paycheck Protection Program. Together, the group allegedly received at least $4.6 million through the fraudulent applications and spent the loan proceeds on down payments for multi-million-dollar residential properties in Glendale and Tarzana.Court hearings for the defendants have not been scheduled. The conspiracy and bank fraud charges alleged in the indictment each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. The wire fraud counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.