A California man pleaded guilty to stealing government funds designed to aid medical providers in the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19 and using them for his own personal benefit. According to court documents, Grigor Garibyan, 36, of North Hollywood, admitted that he owned GMA Home Health Inc. (GMA), a home health agency in Van Nuys, which closed around June 2019. GMA, which was never operational during the COVID-19 pandemic, received approximately $57,591 designated for the medical treatment and care of COVID-19 patients. Garibyan admitted he stole the funds by transferring and spending them for his own personal use, rather than using the funds in conjunction with pandemic relief efforts as required. The charges against Garibyan resulted from his intentional misuse of funds distributed from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, money specially apportioned by the CARES Act to help healthcare providers who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide care to patients who were suffering from COVID-19, and to compensate providers for the cost of that care. These funds were critical to delivering relief to healthcare providers and maintaining access to medical care during the pandemic.
