Tamara Dadyan has been extradited to the US on charges of fraud amounting to18 million dollars after fleeing the country.

On February 28, 2023, the leader of a criminal gang from Los Angeles, which had stolen 18 million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds, was extradited from Europe to the United States, where she faces more than ten years in prison. This was reported by the authorities.

Extradition of the leader of a criminal gang

The police of Montenegro reported that 41-year-old Tamara Dadyan was handed over to the U.S. Marshals at the airport of the regional capital, Podgorica. She pleaded guilty to three crimes, and after her sentencing in 2021, she went missing before turning herself in to prison.

Fraud through fake applications

Tamara Dadyan, her sister, brother-in-law, and five other people fraudulently submitted about 150 applications for assistance that was intended to help companies and employees facing difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, federal prosecutors said. They filed applications for aid using fake names or the names of deceased or elderly individuals, as well as foreign students. The applications included fake tax and payment documents.

• The money was used for down payments on luxury homes in the Tarzana area of Los Angeles, in the suburb of Glendale, and in Palm Desert.
• Money was also used to purchase luxury items, including gold coins, jewelry, and designer bags.

Disappearance before serving a sentence

Even after being sentenced to 10 years and 10 months, and up until the day she was supposed to start serving her sentence, Dadyan was allowed to remain free for almost two months. However, she disappeared the day before her scheduled report to prison, leaving her two minor daughters at her home in the Encino area of Los Angeles, according to law enforcement. Dadyan was a realtor in that area.

Extradition of the remaining accomplices

In February 2022, Tamara Dadyan traveled to Montenegro, where she stayed at a luxurious resort hotel where her brother-in-law, Richard Aivazyan, and his wife, Marietta Terabelian, were living. Authorities stated that Aivazyan and Terabelian fled, leaving behind their three minor children, after being convicted of conspiracy and other federal crimes in 2021.

“These defendants exploited the crisis related to COVID-19 to steal millions of dollars in aid intended for individuals and businesses suffering from the economic consequences of the worst pandemic in a century.”

Fraud related to unemployment insurance became a nationwide issue during the pandemic, as the increase in payouts exceeded the capabilities of state unemployment agencies. Criminals were able to purchase stolen personal data on the dark web and use it to submit mass fraudulent claims.

During his testimony on February 8 before a congressional committee, Larry D. Turner, an inspector at the U.S. Department of Labor, estimated that at least $191 billion of the $872.5 billion paid out by federal insurance companies during the pandemic "could have been improper payments, and a significant portion of them was related to fraud." He also testified that the percentage of improper payments for support programs during the COVID-19 pandemic was likely higher than 21.52%.