The former owner of a Los Angeles home health agency is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for illegally obtaining over $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
Petros Hannesyan, 36, of Burbank, pleaded guilty in November in downtown Los Angeles to one federal count each of theft of government property and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hannesyan fraudulently obtained the funds from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration through his then-defunct company, Hollywood Home Health Services Inc., as well as through a fake sole proprietorship in his name, federal prosecutors said.
Instead of using the funding for its proper purpose, Hannesyan used the monies for his personal benefit, including sending money to family in Armenia, purchasing luxury goods in Las Vegas, and purchasing another business, the defendant admitted.
The government is recommending that the court sentence Hannesyan to 18 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years’ supervised release, and order him to pay restitution in the amount of $230,454, a $7,500 fine and a $200 special assessment, court papers show.