Tamara Dadyan

Identity and role

Tamara Dadyan lived in Encino, California, according to the indictment, which records that she and co-defendant Artur Ayvazyan were married. She was 43 when extradited in February 2023, per the Justice Department, whose release announcing the extradition calls her a "co-leader" of the ring. She is a defendant in United States v. Ayvazyan et al., No. 2:20-cr-00579-SVW (C.D. Cal.), with Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian. The Ninth Circuit described her and Richard Ayvazyan as the conspiracy's "two principal organizers."

Biography / career arc

The court record describes her role in the scheme, not a career. The Ninth Circuit quoted her texts to Richard Ayvazyan: that she would "have [Artur] go deposit the 157k" from a co-conspirator's loan, after which $155,000 of that loan went to a Runyan Tax Service account Richard Ayvazyan controlled for "payroll," and "I'm expecting a wire for Art for $73500," after which $73,500 went the same way.

The case / pandemic-relief role

According to DOJ, Dadyan and her co-conspirators used dozens of fake, stolen or synthetic identities, including names of elderly or deceased people and of foreign exchange students who had briefly visited the United States years earlier, to apply for about 150 PPP and EIDL loans, seeking more than $20 million with fake identity documents, tax documents and payroll records. DOJ says the money went into down payments on three luxury homes in California and into gold coins, diamonds, jewelry, luxury watches, designer handbags, cryptocurrency, securities and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Their own relief

The record does not separate her own loans from the ring's. On December 27, 2021, the court held her jointly and severally liable with Richard Ayvazyan, Marietta Terabelian and Artur Ayvazyan for $17,723,141.26 in restitution.

Legal status / controversies

Charged: by criminal complaint filed November 3, 2020, with Artur Ayvazyan; both were arrested November 5, 2020 (DOJ). Indicted November 17, 2020.
Pleaded guilty: June 14, 2021, before the verdict against her co-defendants, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit money laundering. She later moved to withdraw the plea; DOJ reported the motion still pending in November 2021.
Sentenced: December 2021, to 130 months in prison (DOJ).
Fled and extradited: she left the United States in January 2022 and joined Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian in Montenegro, according to DOJ. After about a year as a fugitive she was extradited; DOJ announced on February 28, 2023 that she had arrived in Los Angeles the previous evening.

Where they are now (2025–2026)

DOJ said on February 28, 2023 that she was returned to begin serving her sentence. We have no later record of her case.

Sources held in this archive

Richard Ayvazyan — the other principal organizer, per the Ninth Circuit
Artur Ayvazyan — husband and co-defendant
Marietta Terabelian — co-defendant; extradited from Montenegro in November 2022