FRESNO, Calif.
Federal officials announced that Akop Dongelyan, 47, of Glendale, and Artak Vardanyan, 40, of Burbank, plead guilty Monday to conspiring to commit credit and debit card fraud.
According to court records, in November 2015, Dongelyan and Vardanyan went on a crime spree in Fresno and Southern California, where they stole multiple victims’ credit and debit card information through skimmers placed at gas stations.
They then used that information to make counterfeit credit and debit cards and fraudulently withdraw $198,000 from the victims’ accounts.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the defendants.
Dongelyan is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, 2023, and Vardanyan is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16, 2023.
They each face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine, officials stated.