Federal district · prosecutions
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
43 pandemic-relief fraud prosecution records for the Central District of California, naming 43 defendants. By program: 17 PPP, 1 EIDL, 21 unemployment insurance, 4 other or unclassified. 5 have a case page in the archive. An amount is stated for 41 of them, from $143,283.67 to $369,000,000. Source dates run from 2021-04-09 to 2026-05-28.
Cases
43 defendants · 8 with a case page · sorted by amount, largest first
| Defendant | Case page | Program | Charge | Amount | Disposition | Sentence | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lourdes Navarro | Woman Sentenced for Fraud Scheme Involving Claims for Unnecessary Respiratory Tests Submitted with COVID-19 Tests | healthcare | conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud | $369,000,000 amount sought | plea | 108 months | 2025-01-28 |
| Kevin J. Gregory | Central District of California | Hollywood Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Seeking Millions of Dollars in COVID Tax Breaks | ERC | making false claims to the IRS | $65,300,000 attempted | plea | 57 months | 2025-05-22 |
| Robert Benlevi | Robert Benlevi: Southern California Man Was Sentenced Today to 135 Months, the Equivalent of 11 Years and Three Months, in Prison | PPP | bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution, and money laundering | $27,000,000 amount sought | jury trial | 135 months | 2022-07-19 |
| Richard Ayvazyan | United States v. Artur Ayvazyan et al. — C.D. Cal., No. 2:20-cr-00579-SVW | PPP, EIDL | conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, aggravated identity theft | $20,000,000 obtained | trial | 204 months | 2021-11-16 |
| Ramiro Da Rosa Mendes | Beverly Hills Father and Son Sentenced to Prison for Scheming to Defraud COVID-Relief Programs | PPP/EIDL | one count of wire fraud | $6,708,963 intended loss from 19 PPP and EIDL loan applications | guilty plea | 41 months | 2022-12-12 |
| Edward Kim | UI | one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices | $5,500,000 amount obtained | plea | 292 months | 2023-03-06 | |
| Raghavender Reddy Budamala | Raghavender Reddy Budamala: Orange County Man Was Sentenced Today to 48 Months in Federal Prison (Los Angeles) | PPP/EIDL | bank fraud; money laundering | $5,151,497 restitution ordered | plea | 48 months | 2022-09-26 |
| Mustafa Qadiri | Irvine Man Sentenced to 4½ Years in Federal Prison for Obtaining $5 Million in COVID Loans He Spent on Sports Cars | PPP | bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering | $5,000,000 proceeds received | plea | 54 months | 2023-02-17 |
| Raymond Magana | Santa Clarita Man Sentenced to Nearly 3½ Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-Relief Loans | PPP | false statements | $4,402,000 largest figure in the release | sentenced | 41 months | 2022-04-18 |
| Gabriela Llerenas | UI | fraudulent COVID-related unemployment relief claims | $4,300,000 obtained | sentenced | 63 months | 2022-02-04 | |
| Philip Frederick Camino | PPP/EIDL | Conspiracy to commit wire fraud (1 count) | $4,000,000 PPP and EIDL loans obtained | guilty plea | 41 months | 2026-05-28 | |
| Christopher John Badsey | C.D. Cal. No. 8:21-cr-00124 | Unclassified pandemic relief | wire fraud, false statements | $3,000,000 loss (release: companies paid more than $3 million for protective equipment never delivered) | sentenced | 87 months | 2024-08-23 |
| Armen Grigoryan | UI, PPP, EIDL | conspiracy to commit bank fraud | $3,000,000 obtained | plea | 63 months | 2023-06-07 | |
| Robert Campbell Jr. | UI | conspiracy, mail fraud | $2,113,966 obtained | sentenced | 68 months | 2023-10-16 | |
| Hassan Kanyike | USA v. Kanyike — U.S. District Court, Central District of California | PPP, EIDL | wire fraud | $1,800,000 amount sought | plea | 51 months | 2021-11-15 |
| Jasmine Unique Mallard-McCarter | Riverside County Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Running $1.7 Million COVID-19 Benefits Fraud She Advertised on Instagram | UI | one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud | $1,765,407 largest figure in the release | sentenced | 84 months | 2025-06-18 |
| William Sadleir | The Former Chairman and CEO of Beverly Hills-Based Aviron Pictures Was Sentenced Today to 41 Months in Federal Prison (William Sadleir) | PPP | bank fraud, money laundering, wire fraud | $1,700,000 obtained | plea | 41 months | 2022-10-18 |
| Eduard Gasparyan | UI | conspiracy to commit wire fraud | $1,568,000 fraud loss | guilty plea | 210 months | 2024-02-09 | |
| William Nicoloff Jr. | Orange County Man Sentenced to 2½ Years for Fraudulently Obtaining $1.5 Million in COVID-Relief Loans | PPP | bank fraud, conducting an unlawful monetary transaction | $1,554,054 obtained | plea | 30 months | 2022-05-09 |
| Natalie Le Demola | C.D. Cal. No. 2:22-cr-00205 | UI | leading a ring that fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in California unemployment insurance (UI) benefits | $1,546,933 largest figure in the release | convicted | 84 months | 2023-07-10 |
| Reginald Foster, Jr. | Corrected Judgment — U.S. v. Reginald Foster, Jr (C.D. Cal.) | UI | $1,506,728 restitution ordered | 36 months | |||
| Abiola Femi Quadri | Abiola Femi Quadri EDD benefits fraud case — U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal. | UI | conspiracy to commit bank fraud | $1,300,000 amount obtained | plea | 135 months | 2025-07-10 |
| Bonifacio Jastilana Marinas | San Gabriel Valley Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud Charge for Fraudulently Obtaining Over $500,000 in COVID-19 Jobless Relief | UI | $1,092,983.76 restitution ordered | ||||
| Manuel Asadurian | Simi Valley Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years for Obtaining More Than $1 Million in COVID Business Loans | PPP/EIDL | wire fraud, conspiracy, aggravated identity theft | $1,071,222 proceeds received | plea | 51 months | 2023-02-13 |
| Lizette Berrios Lathon | Former Amtrak Employee Sentenced to Over 2 Years in Prison for Crimes, Including Near-$1 Million COVID Jobless Benefits Fraud | UI | conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud | $1,061,667 loss amount | plea | 25 months | 2025-07-17 |
| Kenneth Andrew Lathon | UI | conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon | $998,600 restitution ordered | guilty plea | 54 months | 2024-07-17 | |
| Adolph Barley II | UI/PUA | UI/PUA fraud | $974,000 restitution ordered | sentenced | 33 months | 2024-07-26 | |
| Carl Bradley Johansson | USA v. Western Distribution, LLC et al — C.D. Cal., Carl Bradley Johansson | PPP | conspiracy to make illegal repairs on cargo tanks and to defraud the DOT; welding without required certifications; tax evasion; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud | $954,417 loss | plea | 120 months | 2022-11-29 |
| Robert Mirumyan | UI | one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud | $804,579 largest figure in the release | sentenced | 97 months | 2023-10-03 | |
| Phyllis Hope Stitt | UI | fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 pandemic-related jobless benefits | $768,958 COVID-19 pandemic-related jobless benefits | not specified | 20 months | 2025-05-09 | |
| Fontrell Antonio Baines | C.D. Cal. No. 2:20-cr-00522 | PUA, UI | one count of mail fraud; one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon; possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute | $704,760 obtained | plea | 77 months | 2022-12-07 |
| Bobby Joe Jackson | United States v. Bobby Joe Jackson Jr. — PPP and unemployment case, C.D. Cal. | PPP/EIDL/UI | $677,151.60 restitution ordered | 105 months | |||
| Andranik Amiryan | A Sunland Resident Has Been Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining a $650,600 Paycheck Protection Program Loan | PPP | conspiracy, bank fraud, identity theft | $650,600 Paycheck Protection Program loan obtained | guilty plea | 41 months | 2021-09-24 |
| Stephen Glover | Former Mail Carrier and Co-Schemer Who Lived on His Mail Delivery Route Each Sentenced to Nearly 3½ Years in Prison for COVID Fraud | UI | false claims, mail fraud, identity theft, false statements | $577,522 fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits | guilty plea | 41 months | 2022-12-12 |
| Cara Marie Kirk-Connell | Inland Empire Woman Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Fraudulently Obtain Over $500,000 in COVID Relief | UI | use of an unauthorized access device | $500,000 obtained | plea | 37 months | 2021-04-09 |
| Oumar Sissoko | Judgment — United States v. Oumar Sissoko, Central District of California (Document 230) | PPP | $499,827.65 restitution ordered | 60 months | |||
| Paris Denise Thomas | Amended Judgment — U.S. v. Paris Denise Thomas (C.D. Cal.) | UI | $447,291.47 restitution ordered | 3 years probation | |||
| Greg Henderson | Judgment — U.S. v. Greg Henderson (C.D. Cal.) | UI | $222,600 restitution ordered | 14 months | |||
| Shelbi Dupree | Judgment — U.S. v. Shelbi Dupree (C.D. Cal.) | UI | $204,522 restitution ordered | 18 months | |||
| Simone Gueringer | UI | Conspiracy to commit mail fraud; mail fraud; aggravated identity theft | $204,000 restitution ordered | guilty plea | 18 months | 2023-10-02 | |
| Mateus Pina Mendes | Sentencing Judgment — United States v. Mateus Pina Mendes, Central District of California (Document 41) | PPP/EIDL | $143,283.67 restitution ordered | 21 months | |||
| Sean Schoepflin | EIDL | wire fraud, money laundering, felon in possession of firearms and ammunition | trial | 63 months | 2023-12-14 | ||
| Grigor Garibyan | Judgment — U.S. v. Grigor Garibyan (C.D. Cal.) | Unclassified pandemic relief | 3 years probation |
Data and method
Each row is one row of the pandemic-relief sentences table, printed as that table prints it: defendant, program, charge, amount and its basis, disposition, and the date of the source the row was read from. A blank cell is a blank cell in the table. The sentence column states the months of imprisonment the table records, or the years of probation where it records no custodial term. A case page is linked only where a case page in this district names the defendant; 5 of the 43 rows do. District is the table’s own district field, resolved to this court. Rows whose district field names only a state with more than one federal district are not placed on any district page. A date the table writes in another form is restated as YYYY-MM-DD; a cell that is not a date is printed as it stands. An amount of $1 billion or more is left out: those cells carry a program appropriation quoted in the source release, not a sum attributed to the defendant. Some defendants have more than one row because the table read them from more than one source.
Court hub: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California — every filing in the archive from this court, with the case pages it holds.