A group of sisters recruited unsuspecting churchgoers to file fraudulent discrimination claims against the federal government, bilking American taxpayers out of $11.5 million before spending the stolen cash on luxury vehicles and pricey real estate.
These “grifting grandmothers,” as a new Senate report calls them, are just one of 15 families identified in a bombshell investigation revealing how fraud has become a family affair costing taxpayers nearly $50 million.
Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican who chairs both the Senate Small Business Committee and the Senate DOGE Caucus, released the findings Thursday. The report paints a disturbing picture of generational grift, with relatives teaming up to fleece federal programs meant to help struggling Americans.
“While some families have a tradition of running 5Ks on holidays, fraud runs in these families. They’ll steal $5K, or more, and then make a run for it,” the report states.
The four sisters at the center of the farming fraud scheme approached people at church gatherings, telling them they were eligible for Black farmers’ litigation settlements. According to the Justice Department, “the claimants had not suffered discrimination and, in most cases, had not even attempted to farm.”
The USDA Office of Inspector General first uncovered the scheme, which involved 200 false claims filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
What did these women do with their ill-gotten gains? They went shopping.
Rosie Bryant purchased a $610,000 home in Texas. Lynda Charles and Delois Bryant bought adjoining lots for $97,400 and $87,400 at the Rockwater Village development in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Charles also snagged a $58,959 Chevrolet Express van, while Delois Bryant drove off in a $113,271 Mercedes-Benz G550. All four pleaded guilty in July 2022.
The pandemic made things worse. COVID-19 relief programs became a feeding trough for family fraud rings looking to exploit emergency measures.
A California family raked in $18 million in COVID relief funds using fake names and stolen identities. Tamara Dadyan, her husband Artur Ayvazyan, her brother-in-law Richard Ayvazyan, and his wife Marietta Terabelian used the money to fund luxury homes, gold coins, diamonds, designer goods, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The “entire family of fraudsters is behind bars,” according to the report.
Then there’s the Edwards family, Canadians living in Florida who ran what the report describes as a sham organization. Their stated mission was “service to the poor.” Their actual mission was apparently service to themselves.
“The Edwards family attempted to purchase a multimillion-dollar mansion at Walt Disney World Resort with the taxpayer money they received,” the report noted. They requested $6 million from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. The government paid them more than $8 million. The Justice Department brought charges in 2021.
Ernst isn’t just exposing the problem. She’s proposing a solution.
On Aug. 6, the senator introduced the No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks Act. The legislation would prohibit individuals living with a convicted criminal or fraudster from being eligible for federal grants, loans, subawards, or reimbursements. The bill includes an exception for spouses who live separately or who are survivors of domestic abuse.
The logic is straightforward: if someone’s already been caught stealing from taxpayers, maybe the government shouldn’t be handing checks to people sharing their address.
The report suggests this simple reform could have prevented $50 million in fraud. That’s $50 million that came from hardworking American families who play by the rules and expect their government to do the same.
