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OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:55 PM – Saturday, May 31, 2025
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that 14 people have been arrested for allegedly stealing over $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and federal small business loans.
According to Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco, two federal complaints listed a total of 18 people, four of whom are believed to be in Armenia.
They are charged with conspiracy to defraud the government in relation to claims; false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims; wire fraud and attempted wire fraud; bank fraud and attempted bank fraud; money laundering conspiracy, and other offenses.
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“This transnational criminal network sought to defraud the government of millions of dollars and almost succeeded,” Pasciucco said.
William McGrayan, 42, is accused of orchestrating a scam in which he encouraged leaders of sham organizations to open bank accounts, make fraudulent statements, and fabricate phony documents such as resumes and financial statements in order to obtain loans to buy other sham corporations. Prosecutors accused the guy of paying for bogus tax returns that indicated millions in revenue and thousands in taxes owing and payable. The scam duped several banks and the Small Business Administration’s Preferred Lender Program of millions of dollars.
Prosecutors also charged Samuel Shaw, 37, with faking an application for the Paycheck Protector Program, which provided low-interest, forgiving loans to companies during the COVID-19 outbreak. He allegedly filed for the program in 2021 under a bogus business name and received more than $700,000 in funding.
Mery Diamondz, 32, and two co-defendants reportedly cheated a bank by faking the sale of a bogus firm to another sham company in order to obtain a federally guaranteed loan of around $3 million from the SBA.
According to the DOJ, during the arrests, law enforcement recovered approximately $20,000 in cash, two money-counting devices, various phones, computers, two loaded semi-automatic 9mm handguns, and ammo boxes.
Those charged also include Felix Parker, 77, of North Hollywood; and Axsel Markaryan, also known as Axel Mark, 47, of Pacoima.
Prosecutors stated that if convicted, the defendants may face decades in federal prison.
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