Crescenta Valley Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Nearly $3 Million in COVID Relief Funds
Summary
A press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California dated Wednesday, June 7, 2023, announcing that Arman Grigoryan, 42, of Sunland was sentenced by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee to 63 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,880,259 in restitution for fraudulently obtaining almost $3 million in COVID-19 business loans and jobless benefits. It states that he pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and has been in federal custody since July 2022. The release number is 23-127.
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Press Release Crescenta Valley Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Nearly $3 Million in COVID Relief Funds Wednesday, June 7, 2023 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California LOS ANGELES – A Sunland man who fraudulently obtained almost $3 million in COVID-19 business loans and jobless benefits has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison, the Justice Department announced today. Arman Grigoryan, 42, was sentenced late Tuesday afternoon by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who also ordered him to pay $2,880,259 in restitution. Grigoryan pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He has been in federal custody since July 2022 after a court determined he had violated the terms of his pretrial release. During 2020 and continuing through late September of that year, Grigoryan and used other people’s identities to apply for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits through California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). Once EDD approved the false and fraudulent UI applications, a bank issued to Grigoryan and his accomplices debit cards containing the funds intended for the false identities. Grigoryan and others then used the fraudulently obtained debit cards to withdraw cash. Grigoryan and others also used other people’s identities and shell companies to apply for loans intended to help businesses weather the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. They did so by submitted falsified payroll information and attaching forged tax forms as support. Once the banks approved the business loans, Grigoryan and his accomplices then rapidly withdrew the COVID business relief funds by writing checks to co-conspirators and shell companies, and by withdrawing the funds in cash. In total, Grigoryan caused at least $2,880,259 in actual losses through this conspiracy. “When confronted with the COVID pandemic that has claimed the lives of almost 7 million persons worldwide to date, [Grigoryan] instead saw an opportunity to bilk taxpayers out of the emergency funds their government generously made available to ameliorate job losses,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Such criminal opportunism during a global health and economic emergency is egregious.” Homeland Security Investigations, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the California Employment Development Department investigated this matter as part of the El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case. Anyone with general information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Contact Ciaran McEvoy Public Information Officer ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov (213) 894-4465 Updated June 7, 2023 Topics Coronavirus Financial Fraud Component USAO - California, Central Press Release Number: 23-127 Related Content Press Release Former Banker Arrested for Allegedly Obtaining $2.7 Million in COVID Business-Relief Funds Using Stolen IDs of Disabled Persons A former Wells Fargo & Co. banker and his brother have been arrested on an eight-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they schemed to fraudulently obtain more than $2.7 million... July 10, 2025 Press Release Nigerian Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining $1.3 Million in COVID-19 Jobless and Disability Benefits A Nigerian man living in the San Gabriel Valley was sentenced today to 135 months in federal prison for defrauding California and Nevada out of $1.3 million in COVID-19 pandemic... July 10, 2025 Press Release Former Northridge Insurance Agent Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for $3.7 Million Fine Art Insurance Policy Scam A Nevada woman was sentenced today to 50 months in federal prison for defrauding a lender out of $3.7 million by submitting bogus applications for fine art insurance policies for... July 7, 2025
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