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In this episode of American Greed, when COVID first hits, the U .S. government

opens the money spigot. Today I'll sign the single biggest economic relief

package in American history.

But that package leads to what is quite possibly the largest fraud in American

history. Estimates start around $100 billion.

A staggering amount of COVID relief money disappears into the hands of

criminals. The fraudsters are bold, buying luxury cars, flights on private

mansions. And in the crowd of crooks, one swindler stands out.

Richard Avazian runs a family fraud factory designed to steal millions in

cash to spend on houses, watches, and gold.

You know, in a crisis, most of us turn to each other, and there are some of us

that turn on each other.

It was cruel to their fellow Americans, people who actually needed that money to

survive.

American greed goes inside the assembly line of fraud, inside the Avazian's

mansion. It was what they called at trial their dream house.

Inside their private conversation.

She's not saying that because mom and dad are coming over for dinner. There's

intent behind that.

And inside the decision to leave their children and run. Richard tries to

justify it as if he had no choice. But he had a choice. They chose to commit

fraud. They chose to steal money.

And they choose their place on the FBI's notorious list.

Most Wanted.

Tonight, over 16 ,000 now dead across America.

New York alone with more cases than any country in the world.

Looking back to the spring of 2020 is painful.

We are just discovering what COVID -19 can mean.

Hospitals are overflowing.

ICUs are running out of ventilators.

More than 100 ,000 Americans have died.

Entire cities are shut down.

Tens of millions of Americans are suddenly without work.

And for some, that spells opportunity.

In Tarzana, California, in his $3 million mansion,

Richard Abazian is thrilled with the COVID cash he is raking in.

He sends a text to his sister -in -law, Tammy Dodgion.

Babe, I got the funds. I just checked the accounts.

Already a convicted felon, Richard is leading his family on a criminal

How much they send you, Tammy asks.

Like over 500 so far.

It will later become clear that Richard is firmly dedicated to one principle.

He will never be caught.

Richard Avazian's story begins in Yerevan, Armenia, at a time when the

still rule.

When he is 10 years old, his mother brings Richard and his brother to

start a new life, leaving behind his abusive father.

They set up life in the Los Angeles area, where for years, Armenian

find a welcoming landing spot.

When he came over to the United States, he did not speak any English.

He started in the fifth grade, and he learned how to assimilate into the

States culture, and he loved it.

And in the country he loves, he finds the love of his life. Her name is

Tarabellion. They are married in 2004 and have two sons and a daughter.

One of the things that he said is that he really wanted to be the father that

never had.

He wanted to be the father that was going to be there, be a provider, and be

role model for his children.

Yes, he will be a role model.

A role model for turning a crisis into a chance to steal.

In 2007, Richard Avazian's cunning business strategy starts to become

He is working in real estate.

At the time, easy -to -get subprime mortgages are flooding the country.

So Richard sees an opportunity.

He knows the real estate market. He knows how to work the system in order to

the money out of it.

It is time to try his hand at bank fraud.

He knows many banks are not verifying income, and so on an application for a

home equity line of credit, he gives his a boost.

From $6 ,000 a month up to $44 ,000.

Bingo. The loan is approved.

Richard gets a half a million dollars.

And so next, Marietta gets in on the game.

This time, they use her as the borrower, and she inflates her income. And at the

time, she was making zero to none. And using the false W -2s and the false tax

return, she gets over a million dollars. Just like that.

But unfortunately for them, the couple that steals together gets indicted

together on charges of bank fraud.

Five months later, Richard and Marietta plead guilty. And Richard writes to the

sentencing judge asking to avoid jail time.

He says that he is most afraid of being separated from his family, the most

important people in my life.

I will never in the future do anything to cause them pain.

It works. The judge believes him.

And the court took a flyer on him and said, okay, I'm going to make you do

community service. I won't take you from your family, and I hope you learn from

this.

But the lesson Richard and Marietta learned, crime pays.

Eight years after their felony convictions, Richard and Marietta are

multi -million dollar house in Encino.

Presumably, they can afford it because Richard is a success working in a number

of seemingly legitimate businesses.

Richard Avazian presented himself to the world as a serial entrepreneur and

angel investor who was interested primarily in the tech industry.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Evidence shows that despite their previous convictions, Richard and

actually expand and refine their mortgage fraud operation.

They had essentially a well -oiled machine to commit fraud. We call it the

assembly line of fraud.

That assembly line is comprised of a huge array of stolen identities,

documents, and bank accounts created for one purpose.

to steal millions of dollars in loans they never intend to pay back.

Just a few blocks away are their co -conspirators, Richard's brother,

and his sister -in -law, Tammy Dodgion.

This is a criminal enterprise that is all in the family.

Not only do they have the relationships that most American families have with

their spouses or with their brothers or sisters or brother and sister -in -laws,

But here they're all partners in crime. And this was a family business and that

business was fraught.

And their best business opportunity is about to fall into their laps.

Up next, Richard cracks the code to unlock COVID cash.

To them it was a game. How much could they take and how fast could they get

Later, with the FBI at the door, what is Marietta hiding?

By all appearances, Richard Abazian lives by the motto, in every crisis lies

criminal opportunity.

And in 2020, that cynical view pits him against small business owners across the

country who are finally back on their feet following the Great Recession.

Before the pandemic, we were making a lot of progress.

Marquise Harris Dawson represents South L .A. in the Los Angeles City Council.

Certainly we had problems that any low -income community of color in this

country has, but we were making progress.

Take, for example, this small restaurant, Madears.

For 18 years, owner Kerry Reese served Southern -style food, grits, and oxtails

to loyal customers.

We did very well.

2019 was one of our biggest years, and I was very encouraged.

Each day was becoming a better day.

That is, until COVID -19 arrives.

As the crisis sweeps the nation, the toll is growing by the hour. Another 2

lives lost nationally since yesterday as this wildfire of misery burns across

the country. I'm very scared that if this doesn't stop soon, we're going to

up with a much bigger problem.

And California becomes the first state to issue a stay -at -home order.

That directive goes into force and effect this evening, and we are

that the people of the state of California will abide by it.

For businesses everywhere, the news is alarming, frightening.

At Madears, it feels like a gut punch.

I furloughed 50 % of my staff at that point because I didn't know.

how long that the full -on closure was going to last.

And I didn't have the kind of backup funds to continue to pay people, and

there's no money coming in.

And then in March, a lifeline is thrown out.

My fellow Americans, tonight I want to speak with you about our nation's

unprecedented response to the coronavirus outbreak.

President Trump announces that he is authorizing billions of dollars for

relief.

For struggling businesses across the country, it offers a chance to survive.

But up in Encino, for the Avazian family, with an impressive track record

milking a crisis, the global pandemic is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Immediately, Richard texts Tammy Dadian, his sister -in -law. Did you hear Trump

today? He's passing a bill to give small businesses $80 billion.

Tammy responds, we can totally do this.

She understands immediately that it is time to pivot from mortgage fraud to

will be the next hot crime, COVID fraud.

Two weeks later, when Congress passes the $2 .2 trillion CARES Act, it's clear

the potential is huge.

Six hundred sixty nine billion dollars in loans for the Paycheck Protection

Program, PPP, and 20 billion dollars for economic injury disaster loans,

EIDL. Because the relief money needs to get out the door fast, the approval

process is deliberately easy.

The Small Business Administration, in sending that money out, largely relied

an honor system.

They basically said to people, apply.

and sign and tell us that you're really entitled to the money.

That is an open invitation to someone like Richard Avazian.

He gets to work right away.

He tells Tammy, this program is over by the end of the month, so get as much as

you can.

Knowing that doors were closing on them, knowing that the program was not going

to last forever, if they were going to fulfill their criminal dreams, they'd

have to move quickly and move broadly, and they did just that.

Early on, Richard learns that the EIDL program issues a $10 ,000 cash advance.

Richard texts Tammy, if you don't qualify for loan, you keep the 10K.

She's honored.

Okay, so let's do for all this idiots.

10K is 10K, she answers.

Those idiots are a cast of characters the Avazians have assembled to front

fraud.

Many are actual legitimate businesses whose identity they steal outright.

Others are synthetic identities.

When I say synthetic, I mean not just a completely 100 % fake identity, but an

identity that is made up of fake parts and real parts, which is particularly

dangerous because there are parts that can be verified, and yet it's not a real

identity. Like this person, Yulia Zadko.

She comes to the United States from Ukraine on a student visa and gets a

security number.

But she stays for just four months and never comes back.

There is little risk that she will learn her name is used over and over to steal

from the U .S. government.

We think that they knew her and that when she left, they took that identity

she had and used it to commit fraud. And how many did they use it to commit

fraud? They turned her into a man.

And soon, Yulia Zadko, the man, wins approval for COVID relief money for a

number of businesses.

Top quality contracting, timeline transport, touring info solutions.

Total take for that one idiot, $1 .2 million.

And right behind Zadko is another student, Victoria Kaishko, also from

She, too, is a versatile business person, the owner of Journeyman

and Runyon Tax Service and Fiber One Media.

Many of the identities are holdovers from previous loan frauds. Already bank

accounts, even websites, are in place.

They're primed. They literally are set up to roll out as many loan applications

as possible.

And that is just what they do.

In the first month, they seek approval on 43 loans, attempting to rake in more

than $5 million.

Richard texts, I did two yesterday and got docs today. One of them already

funded in the account.

It's crazy.

They're literally laughing about it, because to them it's free money, when in

reality this was supposed to be money to keep people off the street.

And it is money that may soon run out.

With the pressure on...

Richard and Tammy are in constant minute -by -minute touch in their typo -laden

text messages.

Tamara clearly respects Richard. She clearly looks to him for guidance.

At one point, Tammy asks Richard, how many times can people apple for the

relief? He knows exactly what she is asking.

She was, in many ways, his second lieutenant.

And he repeatedly makes it clear he is in charge.

At one point he asks, who told you to do those numbers?

Tammy answers, me, myself, LOL.

Richard snaps back, no, I told you, I have the freaking formula.

Hello?

He does have the formula. And his ability to game the system even

investigators. What impressed me the most was their savviness to understand

the EIN...

was the key in this process.

EIN, employee identification number. That's the one number the program

check to make sure an application is not a duplicate.

Richard figures it out. He tells Tammy, go to bluevine .com right now and apply.

They are approving and closing within 24 hours.

Tammy, with same info?

Yeah. Just change your EIN by one number. They don't check for...

And, Tam, it's all automated.

So they were able to apply for multiple loans using the same company name, but

simply varying the tax identification number, oftentimes by just one digit.

As their strategies pay off, Richard and Tammy are both working through the

night.

Richard, I didn't sleep all night. I was working 24 hours straight.

Tammy? I applied at 3 a .m. for my B of A in Wells, LOL.

Their greed was unbridled, and it was cruel to their fellow Americans. People

who actually needed that money to survive were, in their mind,

people that they were racing against to try to get as much money as they

possibly could so that they could keep it for themselves.

And while Richard and Tammy celebrate their victories, their competitors,

business owners, are losing the game.

Carrie Reese gets money for COVID relief, but it is not enough to pay her

And so she applies again.

I didn't get that because they said the money had already been depleted.

And the stress becomes intolerable.

The most precarious situation was all of the pre -designated payments that were

coming through.

And there was no money to cover them. And so then you get into this spiral of

overdraft fees or return check fees, and it was just, I was like, stop, please,

just stop.

And the future?

Bleak. I saw my retirement dreams just melt away.

And it's like, what do I do now?

Meanwhile, Richard writes Tammy.

I got the keys today on the house.

Apparently, his lifestyle is in for a major upgrade.

Up next, a shocking exploitation of a death in the family.

There is little point in staying up all night to steal millions of dollars if

one cannot truly enjoy the rewards of stolen money.

And so, in June 2020, Richard and Marietta do just that.

They move into their new Tuscan -style villa in Tarzana.

The price tag?

More than $3 million.

It was what they called at trial their dream house.

It's a big moment for the Avazian family.

Tammy texts Richard, I love you, my big brother, and truly happy for you for

this new achievement in your life.

She adds, anyone of the looser who have their eye on you.

You know, people like us, the government.

Richard answers as if he is accepting an award for businessman of the year.

Thanks, it's not just me.

Trust me, you, Art, everyone I care about, plays a big role in my life that

drives me to achieve.

It's a telling line.

It shows that Richard is proud of his criminal accomplishments.

They are a measure of his success as the leader of the family business.

The family business is whatever it takes to keep the money, to keep the lavish

lifestyle, the houses that they're used to.

It's not about being a good father or a good role model or following the rules.

It's about a result.

It doesn't matter how you get there.

And as the COVID money pours in, Richard is making enormous investments in

watches, very expensive watches.

He needed someplace to park his money because he can't take stolen money and

just go down to the bank and deposit it in his savings account. He's got to put

it somewhere.

And these watches are a way to do that.

He and his watch dealer shoot photos back and forth via text message.

Richard says, get me a price on these.

When the dealer suggests a watch costing $130 ,000, Richard gives a thumbs up.

And why not? The flow of money is fast and steady.

Sign today, Richard says.

Tammy, LOL.

To them it was a game.

And how much could they take? And how fast could they get it?

And they are always on the lookout for the new identity to steal.

In July, they break ground on a new opportunity.

It's a particularly grim opportunity.

In July 2020, Meredith Terabellion's father died.

Within three days.

Richard Avazian opened bank accounts in his name and began applying for pandemic

relief funds using his name and using a company called Monteros.

The dead man's take, $534 ,000.

It's a pretty blatant example of how far they were willing to go to steal more

money in this case, is to take their dead relative's name three days after

pass away, when normal people would be grieving and they were using that name

steal money.

And shortly after the COVID relief money hits the bank, his daughter, a .k .a.

Victoria Kaichko, spends that money on furniture and jewelry.

Lots of jewelry.

$60 ,000 here, $62 ,000 there.

Cash courtesy of the Paycheck Protection Program.

And it kind of gives you an insight into the mentality of these fraudsters,

which is my needs are more important.

My wants are more important.

My dream house is more important. My AP watch that's hundreds of thousands of

dollars, that is more important than the businesses going out of business and

the homeless that are gathering outside of the lakes and the streets of L .A.

And for business owners across L .A. and their employees, it is getting rough

out there.

In this year, 7 ,500 Los Angeles County businesses permanently close, more than

in any other U .S. city.

And many are just barely hanging on, like Third Street Dance in Los Angeles.

For 40 years, it is a beloved fixture in the community, now owned by Leslie

Ferreira. This place has been around forever, and people don't just come here

dance. People come here to have friendships, to become part of a

But when COVID shuts her down, Leslie joins thousands of other business owners

scrambling for money.

I absolutely was afraid, 100%. I mean, I don't think any small business owner

out there wasn't afraid of pandemic.

To keep her business alive, she begins holding classes outside in the parking

lot. and she gets a PPP loan.

It covers expenses for one month.

When she is eligible for the second, she learns the government funding has run

out. And so, with no other choice, she starts to go through her personal

savings. No one wants to be going into their personal savings to be paying for

their business.

But I also knew that I had to get through it.

She does get through it.

And later, she is stunned to learn about the fraudsters living just a few miles

away. I'm sure they went by tons of businesses and drove by and just saw

after sign of closing and closing and for lease because people went under and

they just continued to do that. It's really upsetting, yeah.

She's right.

Richard Abazian is out driving.

He has a watch to pick up.

Up next, Richard has no idea, but the FBI is watching.

This car shows up, and it's a Mercedes G -Class SUV.

This person get out.

In Palm Desert, 150 miles east of the Abazian Fraud Factory,

Donald Zabala runs a small construction company.

For 40 years, he makes a good living. He has a great credit score, no debt, no

complaints from customers.

And that makes him a sitting duck for the fraud family.

His first clue comes in 2019 when his mail is mysteriously redirected to an

unknown address.

I got a late payment on one of my bills, and then I got another one, and I

couldn't figure it out.

And then it gets worse. He is threatened and accused of things he has nothing to

do with.

We started getting calls that people wanted to sue us because we were putting

liens on their houses and taking out loans that we didn't take out.

In time, he learns, like dozens of other honest business owners, he is just a

tool in the assembly line of fraud.

The Avazians entangle him in an unknown number of schemes and at least three

loans for COVID relief for a total take of $445 ,000.

All I know is they just tried to steal everything they could from me and from

the government.

Meanwhile, Richard warns Tammy, I got rid of everything on Sabala.

The reason?

Sabala put out a fraud alert and knows something is going on.

In fact, at this point, a lot of people know something is going on, including

the major fraud unit at the Department of Justice.

In June 2020, we received a tip that there was a possible loan fraud ring

involving about 17 different loans at the time.

Very quickly, two names stand out.

Yulia Zatko and Victoria Kaishko.

We know all of these loans are fraudulent.

Big question is, who's really behind it? Who's driving the boat?

One legitimate company Victoria Kaishko claims to own is Runyon Tax Service.

And so, IRS criminal investigator Jeffrey Clark heads out to the address

on the application.

It's an outdoor furniture store.

This is a good representation of many of the other locations I went to also.

Most of them were other businesses. They were vacant office buildings.

The businesses weren't at the locations.

And it never been. It's just false, false, false, false. There's nothing

the applications.

And so the investigators take the most promising route. They follow the money.

They see that Yulia Zatko's company, Timeline Transport, deposits $149 ,000

an account at Radius Bank.

We look at the bank account. We see the $149 ,000 come in. I saw $100 ,000 being

wired out almost immediately, like within a day or two, to an escrow

The escrow company explains the money is for the purchase of a house. Purchase

of a house in whose names?

Richard of Ozian, Marietta Terabellian.

And there it is.

The first connection that ties Yulia Zatko to very real people, Richard and

Marietta. And then as we dug into who Richard Avazian and Marietta Terabellian

were, career criminals, career fraudsters. And from there, the

takes off.

We find that additional money that was fraudulently obtained using the name

Yulia Zatko was used to purchase watches. That takes us to the

But the watch dealer has never heard of Yulia Zatko.

I said, well, here's the day the money was transferred. Here's the amount. They

looked at their bank records, and the first thing they said was, oh, that's

Richard.

The dealer reports that he is about to FedEx a watch to Richard, and on the day

of the delivery, the FBI is waiting and watching.

This car shows up, and it's a Mercedes G -class SUV, which we call it a G

-wagon. It's, you know, it's $100 ,000, $150 ,000 vehicle.

You see this person get out. You're like, oh, I wonder if that's... Our guy.

The driver of the G -Wagon goes in and collects his package.

When we went to FedEx later and asked, well, who picked that up or what ID was

presented, it was an ID for Richard Avazian.

And one more thing about that G -Wagon. I checked the license plate, and that

license plate comes back to Fiber One Media.

Fiber One Media had applied for a number of different loans in the name of

Victoria Kaishko.

Meanwhile, back at the assembly line, frustration is mounting.

Banks' fraud detectors are waking up.

So banks themselves have their own checks and balances and checks to make

that fraudulent funds aren't coming in. So, for example, if your average balance

is $3 ,000 a month and you suddenly have $300 ,000, that raises some red flags.

And that's what's happening with all these accounts because you're getting so

much money. They're a victim of their own success.

and the money's getting stuck.

And Tammy and Richard are furious.

In their minds, they are entitled to that money. They are the ones who stole

In late September, Tammy sends off a text.

We need your help.

This Capital One restricted the account that I finally opened.

Richard answers, Babe going crazy, I have five accounts frozen from Chime.

It's exhausting. It is time for a break.

Up next, what not to take through U .S. Customs. That's the definition of red

-handed. That's getting caught red -handed.

Want more greed?

Follow us on Instagram, connect on Facebook, and listen to the American

Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

We'll be right back.

By October 2020, any hope of a quick ending to the pandemic has long faded.

morning, COVID infections are climbing at an alarming rate in the U .S., now

crossing the 9 million mark, with cases rising in nearly every state.

The spread unrelenting.

But alongside countless stories of pain and suffering are stories of people

responding to the pandemic in the most positive ways.

Now, Americans are creating new ways to help our nation's health care workers

and first responders.

It's just a way that everybody can get involved and show some solidarity right

now.

In South L .A., Marquise Harris Dawson joins that spirit, bringing people

together to help each other.

His idea?

Giving money to restaurants to deliver meals to seniors who are fearful about

leaving their homes.

It's a lifesaver.

So many restaurants called us and said, you know, when we got the call from your

office, we were already closing our books and preparing to close our bank

accounts and shut down the business.

This briefed life into our business.

Terry Reese jumps at the chance to get Madears operating again.

She enlists her grandsons to help deliver the food.

And they join an army of people across the country who stand in stark contrast

to the deceit and greed of fraudsters exploiting the crisis.

Like those in their dream house in Tarzana.

While the pandemic rages outside their doors, Richard Abazian and Marietta

Terabellion pack up their bags and their secret stash of COVID cash and head off

to Turks and Caicos.

From his chair on the beach, Richard texts Tammy a picture of his view and

What's up, Tams? You up?

I'm three hours ahead here.

And even on vacation, the fraud business never stops.

And one of the things that he was doing while he was sitting on the beach was

texting Tammy about how to use the money to purchase yet another house, yet

another luxury home, using money that they had stolen from the American

government and from the banks.

Trouble is waiting for Richard and Marietta back in the States. The FBI has

asked customs to look out for the fraudsters.

And so in Miami, after border agents perform a secondary inspection of the

Avazian's belongings, they call Justin Palmerton at the FBI.

And they said, hey, there's something going on here. You guys, like, normally

when we see what we've seen on these people, you guys come and arrest them

immediately.

What are they seeing?

Credit cards.

Seriously incriminating credit cards.

In the names of Yulia Zatko and Victoria Kaichko.

That's the definition of red -handed.

That's getting caught red -handed.

The dream vacation is now a nightmare.

Richard and Marietta are arrested.

They are taken to the Broward County Jail.

There, Marietta makes two phone calls. She is told it is a recorded line.

But still, she says what she should not say.

Marietta Terabellian uses the phrase, you know the charge. And the reason she

uses that phrase is because she knows the charge.

It reveals her state of mind.

It reveals her consciousness of guilt.

And then she continues in Armenian.

Clean the house.

She's not saying that because Mom and Dad are coming over for dinner.

There's an intent behind that.

That's someone who knows that she's done something wrong, and she knows they

need to cover their tracks.

And now the FBI needs to move quickly.

And so two weeks after the arrest in Miami, on the morning of November 5th,

FBI SWAT team makes its way up the long driveway to the dream house.

Above, FBI aerial surveillance catches something unusual.

In the back, you see Marietta come out with a bag of something.

And she goes over to these bushes on the backside of the house, and you see her

move the bushes aside and throw something in there.

An agent later walks by the bushes. He sees a bag filled with cash.

We poured it out. We did a quick count. It looked like what appeared to be $500

,000, so about half a million dollars in cash.

But it's at Tammy and Art's house that the most damning evidence is found.

We found the driver's licenses, credit cards, notary stamps.

checks in the names of businesses that were used to obtain funds.

The assembly line of fraud, as the prosecutors had coined it, was right

Up next, Richard and Marietta make a stunning decision.

I called LAPD. They went there, rang the doorbell. Nobody answered it. Nobody

was there.

In November 2020, 12 days after the dream house is searched, Richard

Marietta Terabellian, Artur Avazian, and Tammy Dadian are indicted on multiple

counts, including bank and wire fraud.

At the time, it is becoming increasingly clear that in their pursuit of easy

COVID money, they are far from alone.

The fraudsters are bold, buying luxury cars, flights on private jets, mansions.

All bought by people who scam taxpayer money set aside for COVID relief.

Estimates start around $100 billion, with some stretching to $400 billion.

likely the largest fraud in American history.

And the federal government is working to track down every stolen dollar it can

find. We found one address in San Francisco.

that was used 1 ,300 times in applications for PPP loans.

We saw a gas station whose telephone number was used 150 times.

And among the many COVID fraud cases the government is pursuing, the Avazian's

is one of the first COVID fraud cases to go to trial.

The trial begins in the spring of 2021.

And that is when the Avazians turn on each other.

At trial, the primary defense was that somebody else had done it. They pointed

to the other members of the conspiracy to suggest that they were in fact the

culprits.

Marietta's defense is that she is just a stay -at -home mom, not a participant

in Richard's crimes.

And Archer points the finger at Tammy, a wife he wants to divorce.

Tammy pleads guilty, but says it was really Richard's scam.

And essentially what they formed was a circular firing squad.

But still, they are all found guilty on multiple charges.

Immediately after the conviction, the government asks that Richard and Archer

placed in federal custody.

And the trial had demonstrated they had the capability to flee because they had

mastered the art of coming up with and using fake identities and also hiding

money. that they could then use to fund their escape.

The judge disagrees, and he releases Richard and Marietta with monitors

to their ankles.

They return to their dream house to await sentencing.

But getting caught for his crimes is never in Richard's plans.

I got a call from a probation officer who's watching Richard and said, hey, I

just got a notification that Richard's ankle bracelet was cut off, and I can't

get a hold of him.

I called LAPD. They went there, rang the doorbell. Nobody answered it.

Nobody was there.

Richard and Marietta have disappeared, and they have left a note for their

teenage children explaining why they will not find us home today.

It is impossible not to be reminded of Richard's 2012 letter to the judge in

which he promised never to cause his family pain again.

This time he writes that he has been working and sacrificing since the day

were born, but now he brings danger and fear to their lives.

In that letter they left to their children, Richard tries to justify it as

had no choice. He had to leave, but he had a choice.

Both himself and Mary had a terrible life. They had a choice.

They chose to commit fraud. They chose to steal money.

And for that, Richard is sentenced in absentia to 17 years in prison and

Marietta to six years.

Archer of ASEAN is sentenced to five years, Tammy to nearly 11.

On the day she is scheduled to surrender to begin her sentence...

Jeffrey Clark heads to the federal courthouse to wait for her. So I'm at

third floor. I'm waiting and waiting.

I called the probation person back who indicated that she had called her

times and tomorrow was not answering her phone.

She is last seen meeting with her lawyer in Beverly Hills.

She leaves the building and simply disappears.

She joins Richard and Marietta on the FBI's most wanted list.

In all, the government finds that the Avazians make off with more than $17

million.

You were just kind of overwhelmed at, like, the brazenness of what they were

doing, as well as the scope. You're like, man, why couldn't they just stop

just a couple million?

How can people be so greedy?

For some, the answer to that question is as old as time.

Well, you know, in a crisis, most of us turn to each other.

And there are some of us that turn on each other.

I think that's as old as human beings surviving together.

And this pandemic was no different.