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Marietta Terabelian

Defendant

PPP · EIDL
Type
Person
Role
Defendant
Programs
PPP, EIDL
Updated

The profile

Encino woman convicted at trial in June 2021 in the Los Angeles PPP and EIDL fraud ring organized by her husband, Richard Ayvazyan. She absconded with him before sentencing, was sentenced in absentia to six years, and was extradited from Montenegro in November 2022.

In the archive

Identity and role

Marietta Terabelian, also known as "Marietta Abelian" and "Viktoria Kauichko," lived in Encino, California, according to the indictment, which records that she and Richard Ayvazyan were married. She was 36 when charged and 37 at trial and sentencing, per the Justice Department. She is defendant 2 in United States v. Ayvazyan et al., No. 2:20-cr-00579-SVW (C.D. Cal.), alongside Artur Ayvazyan and Tamara Dadyan.

Runyan Tax Service and "Viktoria Kauichko"

The court record names her in connection with Runyan Tax Service, Inc. The indictment charges that on or about July 13, 2020, she and Richard Ayvazyan, using her alias "Viktoria Kauichko," applied to a lender for a $276,653 PPP loan in Runyan Tax Service's name. The application claimed 22 employees. It was supported by a fraudulent California driver's license and a federal tax filing listing "Viktoria Kauichko" as the company's president. The indictment calls "Viktoria Kauichko" "a fake and synthetic identity."

The ring

According to DOJ, the eight defendants used dozens of fake, stolen or synthetic identities, including those of elderly or deceased people and of foreign exchange students. With them they applied for about 150 PPP and EIDL loans, seeking more than $20 million on fake identity, tax and payroll records. The proceeds went into down payments on luxury homes in Tarzana, Glendale and Palm Desert and into gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, luxury watches, designer handbags and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, DOJ says.

Their own relief

The judgment does not separate her own loans from the ring's. On June 28, 2021, the jury found that she and Richard Ayvazyan must forfeit bank accounts, jewelry, watches, gold coins, three residential properties and about $450,000 in cash. On December 27, 2021, the court held her jointly and severally liable with Richard Ayvazyan, Artur Ayvazyan and Tamara Dadyan for $17,723,141.26 in restitution.

  • Arrested: in Miami on October 20, 2020, with Richard Ayvazyan (DOJ). Indicted November 17, 2020; first superseding indictment March 9, 2021.
  • Convicted: by a jury on June 25, 2021, after an eight-day trial: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering (DOJ).
  • Absconded: she and Richard Ayvazyan allegedly cut their tracking bracelets on August 29, 2021 and went on the run while awaiting sentencing (DOJ).
  • Sentenced in absentia: November 15, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson: six years (72 months) in prison, five years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine. According to the government's account of the hearing, the judge found she had a different role than her husband but was his "partner in crime," enjoyed the proceeds and "took active steps to obstruct justice."
  • Extradited: from Montenegro to the United States in November 2022, as was Richard Ayvazyan (DOJ).
  • Her sister's bond: her sister, Gohar Abelian, had signed as surety on a $100,000 bond for Terabelian's appearance. The district court ordered it forfeited after she fled and refused to set the forfeiture aside. On September 13, 2024 the Ninth Circuit affirmed, noting that Abelian had not helped her flee but had not helped the government find her either (Ninth Circuit memorandum, No. 23-1266).

Since 2024

In May 2024 court mail addressed to her under Bureau of Prisons register number 61233-112 at FCI Victorville Medium I, in Adelanto, California, came back undeliverable (Dkt. 1458). We have no later record of where she is held, and no copy of an appellate decision on her own conviction.

Documents on this site

Case filings on this site

Sources

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