Thirteen people were arrested in California and Florida in connection with organized crime activity, including a scheme to steal tens of millions of dollars worth of products from online retail giant Amazon.
On May 20, officials announced the arrest of 13 alleged members and associates of Armenian organized crime syndicates on a variety of charges including bank fraud, wire fraud, and cargo theft as well as attempted murder, kidnapping, and illegal firearm possession, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The arrests were conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and law enforcement partners in California and Florida.
One of the defendants, Ara Artuni, 41, of Porter Ranch, was identified as a “local leader” in Armenian Organized Crime, a Russian mafia-affiliated transnational criminal organization based in Los Angeles.
Officials say that since at least 2021, Artuni and his criminal associates took part in fraud crimes targeting online retailers including Amazon.
“Artuni Enterprise members and associates enrolled with Amazon as carriers, contracted for trucking routes, and then, while transporting the goods, diverged from the route and stole all or part of the shipment. To date, the Artuni Enterprise has allegedly stolen goods from Amazon worth more than $83 million, according to estimates provided by Amazon.,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Artuni is additionally accused of ordering the attempted murder of rival Armenian Organized Crime local leader Robert Amiryan, 46, of Hollywood, in the summer of 2023. In retaliation, Amiryan allegedly conspired with members of his own criminal organization to kidnap and torture one of Artuni’s associates in June 2023.
Officials say that Artuni and Amiryan have been engaged in a power struggle for control of territory since 2022.
“Today’s arrests reflect that my office and our law enforcement partners are committed to keeping America safe by dismantling transnational criminal organizations,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Let today’s enforcement action be a warning to criminals: Our communities are not your playground to engage in violence and thuggery.”
“This transnational criminal organization operated with the structure and brutality of an international cartel, inflicting significant harm on public safety and causing substantial damage to legitimate commerce and supply chains,” said HSI Los Angeles Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Dwayne Angebrandt. “Dismantling transnational criminal organizations is at the core of HSI’s mission, and through close collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we are holding these perpetrators accountable and disrupting their criminal enterprise at every level.”
Agencies contributing to the investigation include the Los Angeles Police Department Major Crimes Division – Transnational Organized Crime Section; the Burbank Police Department; Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) Northridge and Ventura offices; the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); IRS Criminal Investigation; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
