Epress.am News from Armenia
Three men with ties to the Armenian Power gang were convicted in federal court last week for their roles in a vast racketeering conspiracy and a sophisticated debit card skimming scheme that targeted thousands of customers at 99 Cents Only stores across Southern California, authorities said, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Two leaders of the gang — Mher Darbinyan, 38, known to some as “Capone,” and Arman “Horse” Sharopetrosian, 35 — were convicted Thursday of racketeering conspiracy and extortion, as well as a slew of other related charges, according to an announcement from the US attorney for Central California.
Darbinyan was found guilty of 57 criminal counts, including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He faces a maximum of roughly 973 years in federal prison. He is due in court for sentencing on July 21.
Sharopetrosian, who was convicted of three counts — racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy and extortion — could be sentenced to 60 years in federal prison when he returns to court for sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 15.
Darbinyan faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for each of his 14 counts of bank fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced July 14.
Also found guilty on Thursday of 14 counts of bank fraud was Rafael Parsadanyan, a 29-year-old Los Angeles resident and an associate of the gang.
The convictions represent some of the last few cases remaining from a sweeping investigation that involved nearly a dozen federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Glendale Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the IRS.
Federal prosecutors indicted 90 people in 2011 for crimes ranging from kidnapping and extortion to identity theft and passing counterfeit checks. Of the group, 85 have now been convicted.