Epress.am News from Armenia
A majority of the members and associates of the Armenian-American organized crime enterprise charged days earlier in the largest Medicare scam in the US are Armenian, reports the FBI, which has already published a list of the names of the defendants along with their respective charges.
The crime ring, dubbed the Mirzoyan-Terdjanian Organization by the FBI, is alleged to have operated with assistance from and under the protection of ringleader Armen Kazarian, 44, and its members and associates are charged with numerous crimes, including racketeering, health care fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and bank fraud.
According to the FBI, the Mirzoyan-Terdjanian Organization is alleged to be a nationwide criminal enterprise with strong ties to Armenia. The leadership of the organization is based in New York and Los Angeles, and its operations extend throughout the United States and internationally.
Other than Kazarian, the defendants in the case US v. Armen Kazarian et al. (which does not include all those charged in the Medicare scam) include Davit Mirzoyan, Robert Terdjanian, Aleksander Avetisyan, Herayer Baghoumian, Pogos Satamyan, Artur Yepiskoposyan, Vagan Stepanian, Varujan Amroyan, Jacob Pogosian, Karen Simonian, Vartan Boyzadzhyan, Artur Manasarian, Gourgen Mirimanian, Manuk Muradakhanyan, Liana Soghoyan, Tikran Takvoryan, Gayane Khatchaturyan, Gagik Kyurkchyan, Anna Zaichik, Karen Aharonian, Armen Grigorian, Karen Markosian, Anna Termartirosyan, Michael Dobrushin, Samvel Hakopyan and Rafik Terdjanian.
Out of the 27 defendants listed above, three are women and two have non-Armenian names. The majority are residents of California, with only a handful residing in New York (Brooklyn).
According to the FBI press release, the defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identity theft, conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, and with only 3 members charged in the conspiracy to commit immigration fraud.
Maximum penalties include anywhere from 5 to 30 years imprisonment with life imprisonment being the maximum penalty for racketeering conspiracy, with which the most number of defendants have been charged.