Agency owner accused of Provider Relief Fund fraud

A Burbank, Calif., home health agency owner is accused of misappropriating nearly $230,000 in federal assistance granted to businesses during the pandemic, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release Wednesday, May 26.

 

Petros Hannesyan, 36, owner of Hollywood Home Health Services in Los Angeles, was charged with theft of government property and wire fraud. He is accused of inappropriately spending money offered through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and submitting a false loan application and a false loan agreement to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

 

He is one of more than a dozen arrests announced in a national coordinated law enforcement action that targeted COVID-19 fraud schemes that led to $143 million in losses, according to the DOJ.

 

 

In February, a Michigan woman who had previously owned a home health company was the first to be charged with intentionally misappropriating PRF assistance.