FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA —Two members of a Myrtle Beach family were sentenced to federal prison, and a third to probation, for their roles in a scheme to defraud the Government out of more than $500,000 by submitting false tax returns, and by stealing economic impact payments sent to others as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Specifically, Donna Karakatsani, 48, was sentenced to two years in prison while her son, Ivo Krasimirov Ivanov, 29, was sentenced to a year and a half in prison. Todor Milkov Stoenchev, 54, Karakatsani’s husband and Ivanov’s stepfather, was sentenced to five years of probation given his more limited role in the scheme.
“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. These Defendants deserve their sentences, and 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. Their quick and thorough investigation also allowed the Government to recover a substantial portion of the stolen funds.”
“The sentences handed down today highlight the seriousness of the Defendants’ conduct,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins,...
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