Joni Ernst backs Senate crackdown after California defendants tied to $18M COVID fraud scheme

Sen. Joni Ernst says a new Senate measure would target organized fraud networks and reduce the ability of repeat “fraudster families” to obtain government funds.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, is pushing for new federal legislation aimed at what she described as organized, multi-person fraud schemes that prosecutors tied to large-scale COVID-era misuse of taxpayer funds. Ernst cited a California case in which defendants were sentenced after a scheme involving $18 million taken from COVID-related funding, according to reporting published Tuesday.

In the case highlighted by Ernst, New York Post reported that Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian were among those convicted and sentenced for the COVID cash fraud. The reporting framed the matter as a “clan” scheme involving multiple participants rather than a single defendant acting alone.

Ernst said the Senate proposal would be designed to prevent repeat fraudulent conduct by groups connected through family or other close relationships, arguing that conventional fraud enforcement can be undermined when multiple relatives and associates coordinate around eligibility checks and compliance requirements. In the New York Post report, Ernst characterized the group as “fraudster families” and said, “Their next scam-ily reunion will be in the slammer.”

The bill’s broader enforcement goal, as described in the report, is to strengthen accountability when fraud involves patterns that can span cases, locations, and related entities. Under that approach, the practical focus is on limiting the ability of people associated with fraud to regain access to government money through new filings, new entities, or other means that exploit gaps between civil and criminal enforcement.

The New York Post article linked the legislative push to the COVID-era funding environment, when emergency relief programs saw rapid deployment and intense pressure on oversight capacity. Ernst’s argument, as reported, is that this history increases the importance of tighter controls and more effective deterrence for organized fraud networks that can cause downstream losses for taxpayers and legitimate program participants.

As of Tuesday’s report, the New York Post did not provide additional specifics such as the bill number, committee referral, or the precise statutory mechanisms it would use. Further details on the legislation, including its text, sponsors, and any hearings or markup schedule, would be necessary to determine whether it would change eligibility rules, expand exclusion authority, modify sentencing or forfeiture frameworks, or add new compliance and audit requirements.

Why It Matters

If enacted, the proposal would indicate renewed congressional focus on preventing organized fraud networks from re-entering government programs, rather than addressing isolated bad actors only after losses occur.
COVID-era funding misuse remains a politically salient enforcement area, and new legislative tools could affect how future emergency or pandemic-linked programs are administered and monitored.
The bill’s practical effect would depend on whether it creates new exclusion or eligibility restrictions, expands enforcement authority, or changes compliance and oversight requirements for government payments.
Because procedural details were not specified in the available reporting, further confirmation is needed on the bill’s statutory changes and its path through Senate committees.

Sources

report (New York Post)

Key Facts

Sen. Joni Ernst says she is backing a Senate bill aimed at cracking down on organized “fraudster families,” according to New York Post reporting.
The reporting ties Ernst’s legislative push to a California COVID-era fraud case involving $18 million taken from COVID cash.
New York Post reported that Richard Ayvazyan and Marietta Terabelian were among defendants sentenced in that California matter.
Ernst was quoted in the report characterizing the group’s next attempt as being “in the slammer.”
As reported Tuesday, additional bill details such as the bill number, text, and procedural timeline were not included in the New York Post article.