A couple convicted of stealing Covid funds is on the run, the F.B.I. says.

U.S.|A mates convicted of stealing Covid funds is connected the run, the F.B.I. says.

• Nov. 17, 2021, 2:43 p.m. ET

When the Covid-19 pandemic began past year, a Southern California antheral recruited his brother, his woman and galore others to usage the identities of older people, overseas speech students who had near the state and dormant relatives to use for $20 cardinal successful national alleviation funds, the authorities said.

The man, Richard Ayvazyan, 43, bought a $3.25 cardinal mansion and filled it with golden coins, luxury watches and imported furnishings utilizing the stolen Covid-19 disaster-relief funds, national prosecutors successful California said.

In June, Mr. Ayvazyan; his wife, Marietta Terabelian, 37; and Artur Ayvazyan, Mr. Ayvazyan’s brother, were convicted of scheming to fraudulently get backing that was meant for radical and businesses that had sustained economical losses arsenic a effect of the pandemic.

In August, arsenic they awaited sentencing astatine their location successful the San Fernando Valley, Mr. Ayvazyan and Ms. Terabelian removed their bracelet monitors and fled, according to the F.B.I. They near their children behind, according to national prosecutors.

On Monday, they were some sentenced successful absentia. Mr. Ayvazyan received 17 years successful situation and his woman received six. Artur Ayvazyan, 41, was sentenced to 5 years.

During the proceeding connected Monday, Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said helium could not callback a fraud lawsuit done successful specified a “callous, intentional mode without immoderate respect for the law” and described Mr. Ayvazyan arsenic “an endemic, coldhearted fraudster.”

Mr. Ayvazyan’s lawyer, Ashwin J. Ram, said that his client’s household believed the mates was kidnapped but that the authorities had made nary superior effort to analyse the claim.

“There are dozens of radical who perchance person exposure,” Mr. Ram said. “My fearfulness was that idiosyncratic wanted to soundlessness my client.”

Mr. Ram said a one-sided representation of Mr. Ayvazyan was presented astatine sentencing.

“The full constituent of sentencing is not whether a transgression occurred,” helium said. “The constituent of sentencing is what is conscionable punishment successful this case.”

Mr. Ayvazyan’s inheritance arsenic a churchgoer, a begetter and a salient subordinate of the Armenian assemblage successful Southern California who invested successful tiny start-ups did not travel up astatine the hearing.

“That communicative didn’t get told astatine sentencing due to the fact that helium wasn’t there,” the lawyer said. According to Mr. Ram, the mates has 3 children, ages 13, 15 and 16, who are surviving with their grandparents.

Prosecutors said successful tribunal filings that Mr. Ayvazyan near a typed missive for their children explaining they had to fly due to the fact that helium has brought “danger and fear” to their lives.

“We volition beryllium unneurotic again,” helium wrote, according to a transcript of the letter. “I volition find a way, that’s a promise.”

Mr. Ayvazyan had a past of indebtedness fraud, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosectors.

He pleaded blameworthy to conspiring with Ms. Terabelian to fraudulently get a enactment of recognition and was charged with conspiring to usage stolen identities to unafraid owe loans and greenish loans for environmentally affable location projects, the memo stated.

Ms. Terabelian utilized to enactment astatine a children’s hairsbreadth salon, according to the F.B.I. Her lawyers did not instantly respond to requests for remark connected Wednesday.

In messages to his co-conspirators, helium joked that the national authorities would tally retired of wealth and told them to determination rapidly to get the funds.

“This programme is implicit by extremity of the period truthful get arsenic overmuch arsenic you can,” helium wrote, according to the memo.

Mr. Ram said the tribunal sentenced Mr. Ayvazyan connected guidelines based connected the theft of astir $1.5 cardinal from the government. He added that helium did not judge that prosecutors proved that Mr. Ayvazyan himself stole anyone’s identity.

The authorities “was handing retired wealth with nary checks and a batch of radical took vantage of that,” Mr. Ram said.

“It’s a chromatic trap,” helium added. “Richard Ayvazyan fell into that trap.”

The F.B.I. said it was offering a $20,000 reward for anyone with accusation that could pb to the couple’s arrest.