LOS ANGELES – An associate of the Armenian Power gang,, who was convicted for his role in a racketeering conspiracy that included stealing personal and financial information of elderly bank customers for accounts valued at more than $25 million, was sentenced Monday to more than 13 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez sentenced Andranik Aloyan, 41, of Hollywood, to 13 years and four months and ordered him to pay $3.5 million.
A federal jury in February found guilty Aloyan guilty of racketeering conspiracy, attempted bank fraud, access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, officials said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Aloyan possessed and used stolen personal and financial information belonging to more than 80, mostly elderly bank customers, whose accounts combined to be worth more than $25 million.
Aloyan was among 90 individuals charged three years ago in two indictments that alleged a variety of criminal activities associated with the Armenian Power gang, officials said.
One indictment accused 27 defendants, including Aloyan, of participating in the Armenian Power racketeering conspiracy that involved illegal activities such as sophisticated bank fraud, identity theft, debit-card skimming, manufacturing counterfeit checks and money laundering. Some of the defendants also were involved in violent crimes, such as kidnapping, extortion and firearms offenses, along with other crimes including drug trafficking and illegal gambling.
Eighty-five defendants have previously been convicted or pleaded guilty to the charges, including 26 defendants who were convicted of or pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.
The Armenian Power is a violent street gang, which has about 250 members, formed in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles in the 1980s. The gang’s membership consisted primarily of individuals of Armenian descent, as well as of other countries within the former Soviet bloc.