{"id":2437513,"date":"2025-05-21T14:33:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ice-busts-armenian-crime-syndicate-operating-in-california-florida-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T14:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:35:19","slug":"ice-busts-armenian-crime-syndicate-operating-in-california-florida-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ice-busts-armenian-crime-syndicate-operating-in-california-florida-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE busts Armenian crime syndicate operating in California, Florida &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fice-busts-armenian-crime-syndicate-operating-in-california-florida-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2437513&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recent multi-agency inquiry led<\/a> to the arrest of 13 members of Armenian organized crime syndicates operating in California and Florida. Conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the operation also involved local law enforcement and resulted in the seizure of firearms, around $100,000 in cash, and three armored vehicles. The accused face various federal charges,including attempted murder,kidnapping,illegal firearm possession,and orchestrating over $80 million in theft,primarily targeting Amazon and its retailers.<\/p>\n<p>Key figures in the crime syndicate, Ara Artuni and Robert Amiryan, are reportedly involved in a violent power struggle that has led to multiple murder attempts and kidnappings.The crime syndicate is tied to the Russian mafia, with Los Angeles serving as a central base for its operations. Authorities noted that Artuni allegedly masterminded fraudulent activities, including theft through cargo shipping schemes, and the use of credit card fraud.<\/p>\n<p>If convicted, those involved face meaningful prison time, with penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. The investigation reflects ongoing efforts by federal and local agencies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-extradites-el-chapos-son-ovidio-guzman-lopez-for-trafficking-fentanyl\/\" title=\"US extradites Ovidio Guzman Lopez, El Chapo&#039;s son, for fentanyl trafficking.\">combat organized crime<\/a> and enhance public safety.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">ICE busts Armenian crime syndicate operating in California, Florida<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2127524\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; A multi-agency investigation led to the arrest of 13 alleged members of Armenian organized crime syndicates operating in California and Florida.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and law enforcement officers in California and Florida arrested 13 alleged members and associates of Armenian organized crime syndicates on Tuesday, also seizing firearms, approximately $100,000 in cash and three armored vehicles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3418465\/house-freedom-caucus-gop-leadership-trump-broker-peace\/\">Trump steps in to broker peace between Freedom Caucus and GOP leadership<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3418470\/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-homeless-shelter-requirement\/\">San Francisco mayor to remove requirement for homeless shelters in every district<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3418356\/watch-live-marco-rubio-appropriations-committee-testimony\/\">WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies before House Appropriations Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>They were charged in five&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/news\/releases\/ice-law-enforcement-partners-arrest-13-armenian-rival-members-associates-organized#:~:text=CA%20Organized%20Crime-,ICE%2C%20law%20enforcement%20partners%2C%20arrest%2013%20Armenian%20rival%20members%2C,tens%20of%20millions%20in%20theft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">federal complaints<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;for allegedly committing attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession and over $80 million worth of theft from Amazon and its retailers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; ICE Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Dwayne Angebrandt said.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2022, two local Armenian crime leaders have allegedly been involved in a power struggle for control of their U.S. territory, resulting in multiple murder attempts and a kidnapping, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Ara Artuni, 41, living in Porter Ranch, Calif., was charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering. His rival, Robert Amiryan, 46, living in Hollywood, was charged with kidnapping. Their scheduled court appearances are in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Armenian Vahan Harutyunyan, 50, living in Hollywood, Florida, was also arrested. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale. A judge ordered him to be detained.<\/p>\n<p>Two other Armenians living in Nevada and California, Levon Arakelyan, 45, and Ivan Bojorquez, 33, respectively, are currently in state custody, ICE said.<\/p>\n<p>The transnational criminal organization, Armenian Organized Crime, is affiliated with the Russian mafia and has made Los Angeles County a center of U.S. operations, according to affidavits filed with the criminal complaints.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, Artuni allegedly ordered the attempted murder of Amiryan, authorities said. In retaliation,&nbsp;Amiryan allegedly conspired to kidnap and torture one of Artuni&rsquo;s associates, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Since at least 2021, Artuni and his criminal enterprise have committed bank fraud, wire fraud, and &ldquo;cargo theft&rdquo; targeting online retailers like&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/amazon.com\/\">Amazon.com<\/a>&nbsp;Inc., the complaint alleges. To defraud Amazon, he and his associates enrolled as Amazon carriers, contracted for trucking routes, and stole all or part of the shipments they were supposed to deliver. They allegedly stole more than $83 million worth of goods from Amazon, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>The operation also ran a &ldquo;credit card bust-out&rdquo; scheme, according to the complaint, charging various credit cards to a sham business, then draining the business account before credit card companies could collect disputed funds.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the bust was &ldquo;a warning to criminals: Our communities are not your playground to engage in violence and thuggery.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Working with the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office, Burbank Police investigators &ldquo;spent hundreds of hours investigating these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-police-arrest-six-kids-ages-13-through-17-in-separate-armed-carjackings\/\" title=\"D.C. Pol... ... Six Kids Ages 13 Through 17 In Separate Armed Carjackings\">heinous violent crimes<\/a>,&rdquo; Burbank Police Chief Rafael Quintero said.<\/p>\n<p>If convicted of the charges, the Armenians face statutory maximum sentences of 10 years in federal prison to life imprisonment.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple federal agencies were involved in the investigation, including Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; IRS Criminal Investigation; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department Major Crimes Division &ndash; Transnational Organized Crime Section and Burbank Police Department were also heavily involved.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office is prosecuting the case.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecentersquare.com%2Fcalifornia%2Farticle_68d38234-4f53-4c91-9b67-9c8cd81ee59c.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2127524\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2127524\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ICE arrests 13 in Armenian crime syndicate bust in CA, FL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2437514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP24353062101686.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[55657,4045,5113,8364,51050],"class_list":["post-2437513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-armenian-crime-syndicate","tag-california","tag-florida","tag-ice","tag-law-enforcement-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP24353062101686.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2437513"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2437517,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437513\/revisions\/2437517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2437514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2437513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2437513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2437513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}