‘Grifting Grandmothers,’ COVID-19 Scammers Among Families That Cost Taxpayers $50 Million

About $50 million in federal fraud could have been avoided if grants were blocked for people living with convicted fraudsters, according to a new Senate report.

The office of Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chairwoman of the Senate Small Business Committee as well as the Senate DOGE Caucus, identified 15 “fraudster families” that received millions in taxpayer funding, according to the report released Thursday.

“While some families have a tradition of running 5Ks on holidays, fraud runs in these families. They’ll steal $5K, or more, and then make a run for it,” the report says.

Convicted fraudsters included four “grifting grandmothers” who cheated the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of $11.5 million by filing 200 false claims for farming discrimination.

According to the Justice Department, “the claimants had not suffered discrimination and, in most cases, had not even attempted to farm.”

The USDA Office of Inspector General first found that the claimants, who were sisters, approached people at church gatherings and told them they were eligible for Black farmers’ litigation settlements.

“The swindling sisters spent the money on pricey properties and automobiles,” the Ernst report says.

Rosie Bryant bought a $610,000 home in Texas; Lynda Charles and Delois Bryant bought adjoining lots for $97,400 and $87,400 at the Rockwater Village development in North Little Rock, Arkansas, according to the report. Lynda Charles also bought a $58,959 Chevrolet Express van, and Delois Bryant purchased a $113,271 Mercedes-Benz G550, the report noted. The four pleaded guilty in July 2022.

Ernst on Aug. 6 introduced the No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks Act, to prohibit individuals living with a convicted criminal or fraudster from being eligible for federal grants, loans, subawards, or reimbursements. The bill carves out an exception for a spouse who lives separately or who is a survivor of domestic abuse.

In another example, a California family fraud ring received $18 million in COVID-19 relief funds by using fake names and stolen identities to fund luxury homes, gold coins, diamonds, designer goods, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the report noted. The participants were Tamara Dadyan; her husband, Artur Ayvazyan; her brother-in-law, Richard Ayvazyan; and his wife, Marietta Terabelian.

Now the “entire family of fraudsters is behind bars,” the report says.

A Canadian family living in Florida was charged with running a sham organization to obtain more than $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

“With a stated mission of ‘service to the poor,’ the Edwards family attempted to purchase a multimillion-dollar mansion at Walt Disney World Resort with the taxpayer money they received,” the report noted.

“The Edwardses requested $6 million from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program to support their organization during the pandemic. Instead, the government paid them more than $8 million!” the report says. The Justice Department brought charges in 2021.