LIT COMMENTARY
Sentencing still pending in the case of Arthur Charcian at time of posting this article. We wrote about Wells Fargo manager Hakop Zakaryan’s case as a sub-article when LIT was reviewing the Enloe State Bank fire and fraud case. His sentencing is also pending.
Update; May 21, 2021: Sentencing rescheduled. Deferred until Oct 29, 2021 for Zakaryan’s case.
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Central District of California
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Federal Authorities Arrest 9 Defendants Charged in Relation to Scheme that Laundered Over $30 Million in Fraud Proceeds
LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities this morning arrested nine defendants, most of whom allegedly were involved in a sophisticated money laundering scheme that moved tens of millions of dollars derived from tax fraud and health care fraud schemes.
Two indictments unsealed this morning allege that a total of 10 defendants participated in a large operation that laundered more than $30 million in tax refunds that had been obtained from approximately 7,000 fraudulent tax returns filed using identities stolen from thousands of American taxpayers. Seven of the 10 defendants named in these two indictments were arrested this morning, and three are still being sought by authorities.
Two additional defendants arrested this morning are charged in two other indictments that allege fraud, one involving a car leasing scam and one involving a short sale scheme involving a $2 million residence that was forfeited to the United States earlier this year. A second defendant in the real estate scam is also a fugitive.
The leader of the schemes outlined in the two money laundering indictments – Gagik Airapetian – directed other conspirators to use altered foreign passports, mostly from the Republic of Armenia, to rent mailboxes and open bank accounts to launder funds from tax fraud and health care fraud, according to the indictments. Members of the conspiracies allegedly altered Republic of Armenia passports by placing their photographs on top of the real passport holders’ photographs, and then using the altered passports to open more than 500 bank accounts.
The nine defendants were arrested this morning by special agents with the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.
The defendants arrested pursuant to the money laundering indictments are:
Gagik Airapetian, 62, of Woodland Hills;
Tigran Galstyan, 48, of Sylmar;
Moses Seraydarian, 54, of Northridge;
Stepan Terakopyan, 35, of Granada Hills;
Petros Terakopyan, 64, of Sun Valley;
Karen Pogosian, 49, of Van Nuys; and
Haroutioun Demirdjian, 54, of North Hollywood.
Authorities are continuing to search for three money laundering defendants:
Davit Asoyan, 29, of Granada Hills;
Nikoghos Petrosyan; and
Albert Andriasov, 28, of Las Vegas.
Ara Sahakyan, 54, of Reseda, was arrested pursuant to the indictment alleging the car leasing scheme in which he leased three different vehicles by falsely claiming to be a CFO earning $189,000 per year.
In relation to the indictment that alleges the short sale scheme, Armen Oganesian, 56, of Los Feliz, was arrested this morning. Arsen Abrahamyan is also charged in this case, and he is believed to have fled the United States.
Members of the money laundering conspiracies used attorneys to try to unfreeze bank accounts that banks had frozen due to suspected fraud, according to court documents.
Airapetian bribed a lawyer to use his attorney client trust account – which is supposed to be used by attorneys to segregate client funds from the attorney’s money – to launder more than $500,000 in tax fraud proceeds, the indictment states.
Glendale lawyer Arthur S. Charchian previously pleaded guilty (see details in article below) to one count of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to the Social Security Administration as he admitted laundering $549,000 for the scheme.
According to one of the indictments unsealed today, defendant Galstyan bribed bank managers to unfreeze bank accounts that contained funds suspected to have been derived from fraud.
Last year, a former Wells Fargo Bank manager, Hakop Zakaryan, pleaded guilty to bank fraud for his role in the scheme.
The other money laundering indictment unsealed today describes a related conspiracy, also orchestrated by Airapetian, that laundered monies derived from health care fraud.
Similar to the tax fraud money laundering scheme, members of this conspiracy allegedly opened bank accounts using fraudulent identities, and Airapetian allegedly charged a 30 percent laundering fee.
As detailed in the indictment, the FBI also conducted an undercover operation where the schemers laundered funds they thought were from health care fraud.
The arrests this morning are part of a continuing multi-agency investigation into a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) scheme – dubbed Operation “SIRF’s Up” – that involved conspirators who used false identities and fake Republic of Armenia and other former Soviet Republic passports to open hundreds of bank accounts that were used to launder tens of millions of dollars in tax refunds fraudulently received from the IRS.
After the arrests this morning, federal authorities have now charged a total of 35 defendants linked to the scheme. So far, the investigation has resulted in 15 convictions, and the seizure of at least five residential properties worth millions of dollars and more than $700,000 from bank accounts. Five defendants remain fugitives from justice.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Airapetian would face a statutory maximum sentence of more than 400 years in federal prison.
The other defendants in the money laundering indictments unsealed today each face prison statutory maximum sentences of more than 100 years of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Central District of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 14, 2018
Glendale Attorney Pleads Guilty to Using Client Trust Accounts to Launder More than $500,000 Generated by Tax Fraud Scheme
SANTA ANA, California – A Glendale lawyer pleaded guilty today to federal charges of using his client trust bank accounts to launder proceeds of a $14 million tax fraud and identity theft scheme that used false identities and bogus Republic of Armenia passports to obtain tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service.
Arthur S. Charchian, 44, entered guilty pleas to two felony counts this morning before United States District Judge Andrew J. Guilford (now retired). Charchian pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to the Social Security Administration.
According to his plea agreement, Charchian participated in a scheme in which he used two client trust bank accounts – which are supposed to be used by attorneys to segregate client funds from the attorney’s money – to launder approximately $549,000 of proceeds generated in a massive “stolen identity refund fraud” (SIRF) scheme.
The underlying SIRF scheme involved schemers who used false identities and fake Republic of Armenia passports to open hundreds of bank accounts that were used to launder funds fraudulently received from the IRS. A total of 17 defendants, including Charchian, have been publicly charged in that scheme, which involved approximately 7,000 fraudulent tax returns that cumulatively sought about $38 million in refunds.
The IRS issued about $14 million in refunds.
The fraudulent tax returns were filed and the bank accounts were opened with personal identifying information that had been stolen from thousands of victims. With Charchian’s guilty plea today, the federal investigation into the SIRF scheme has resulted in 11 convictions, and the seizure of four residential properties and more than $700,000.
Four defendants remain fugitives from justice, and two defendants are scheduled to go on trial next year.
Charchian admitted in court that from 2012 to 2015 he laundered checks that constituted the proceeds of bank fraud, tax fraud, and identity theft. Charchian became involved in the underlying tax fraud scheme when banks flagged accounts being used by co-conspirators to launder proceeds of the SIRF scheme. Charchian received checks from co-conspirators, deposited those checks into his client trust accounts, and then wrote outgoing checks. He admitted charging a 10 percent fee to launder the money.
For example, on May 9, 2014, Charchian deposited a $57,168 cashier’s check payable to a fraudulent identity into his client trust bank account. Later that month, Charchian wrote an outgoing check from the same client trust bank account for $51,468 – the laundered funds, minus the 10 percent.
In total, Charchian laundered more than 15 incoming checks with a cumulative value of $549,352 that constituted fraud proceeds, he admitted in court. He also admitted to cashing checks from the client trust accounts and dispensing cash to the co-conspirators.
Charchian also admitted that on June 4, 2015, he wrote and signed a letter to the U.S. Social Security Administration on his law firm’s letterhead that falsely asserted the $51,468 check represented the proceeds of a “settlement” for a client.
Charchian admitted he wrote the fraudulent letter to help a third party continue to receive Social Security benefits, which Social Security officials had reduced when they learned the person had received some of the money from the “settlement” check.
Judge Guilford scheduled a September 9, 2019 hearing to sentence Charchian, who faces a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
This case against Charchian and the defendants in the SIRF scheme is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Litigation Ensues Claiming $155 Million Fraud and Ponzi Scheme Empowered By Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is accused of turning a blind eye to a massive Ponzi scheme that involved fraudulent real estate investments in Florida.
Dissenting Judge Costa. It’s Moot – But Not When It’s the Bankers Auditor My Colleagues Sayeth
Hometown Judges Carl Stewart and Edith Clement support corrupt and failed Louisiana Bank a reversal in an opinion with a dissent from Houston Judge Gregg Costa.
FDIC Shutters Almena Bank
Almena State Bank’s closure marks the second bank failure in a week. Florida regulators closed Fort Walton Beach-based First City Bank the previous Friday.
Absolutely delighted with Trump’s commutation of Goze-Wagner who was tossed into jail by https://t.co/u1sNyBBJAI and affirmed by https://t.co/Ieci2lmS0j It was a disgraceful sentencing. This criminal system truly needs a major overhaul. Read her story here https://t.co/s0R47vs0b1 pic.twitter.com/sDUlF9bybP
— LawsInTexas (@lawsintexasusa) January 24, 2021
