ICE were celebrating the arrest of 13 people suspected of being involved in an Armenian crime ring on Tuesday, May 20, with one Gardena man among the suspects. As of writing, there have been no convictions.
According to a report by ABC, “Armed with search warrants, investigators with the Department of Homeland Security — with the help of local police departments — raided a Sun Valley home and other locations across Southern California and Florida early Tuesday morning.”
U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli’s office in Los Angeles said that 13 members of an Armenian organized crime syndicate had been arrested. Again, the men are suspects at present.
The following suspects were named by Essayli’s office: “Ara Artuni, 41, of Porter Ranch — charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering; Robert Amiryan, 46, of Hollywood — charged with kidnapping (Artuni’s rival); Vahan Harutyunyan, 50, of Hollywood, Florida — made his initial appearance Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was ordered detained; Levon Arakelyan, 45, of Las Vegas — currently detained in state custody on unrelated matters; Ivan Bojorquez, 33, of Gardena — currently detained in state custody on unrelated matters.”
“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, in a statement. “Let today’s enforcement action be a warning to criminals: Our communities are not your playground to engage in violence and thuggery.”
“Investigators from the Burbank Police Department spent hundreds of hours investigating these heinous violent crimes,” said Burbank Police Chief Rafael Quintero. “The Burbank Police Department is grateful for the assistance from its law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in holding these individuals accountable for their actions.”
“Dismantling transnational criminal organizations is at the core of HSI’s mission,” continued Angebrandt. “Through close collaboration with our law enforcement partners, HSI is holding these perpetrators accountable and disrupting their criminal enterprise at every level.”
