Two members of a Myrtle Beach family have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a scheme to defraud the government out of more than $500,000 by submitting false tax returns and stealing economic impact payments sent to others as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
A third family member has been sentenced to probation.
Donna Karakatsani, 48, was sentenced to two years in prison while her son, Ivo Krasimirov Ivanov, 29, was sentenced to 18 months. Both sentences will be followed by three years’ probation.
Todor Milkov Stoenchev, 54, Karakatsani’s husband and Ivanov’s stepfather, was sentenced to five years of probation because of his more limited role in the scheme, according to a news release.
The three defrauded the government out of $530,292.60, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“During a time when many families were struggling to make mortgage payments, this family was buying houses with money they stole from the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “This fraud scheme was complex, lasted over several years and took place primarily during a pandemic when these funds were sorely needed. I want to thank our federal partners who followed every lead, including interviewing dozens of foreign nationals and poring through mountains of tax returns and foreign-language correspondence.”
Evidence presented showed that beginning sometime in 2020, the...
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