FEDS FILE CHARGES IN PLEASANT HILL ATM FRAUD CASE
by Henry K. Lee

San Francisco Chronicle

Sept 1 2011
CA

PLEASANT HILL — Two alleged Armenian gang members arrested by Pleasant
Hill police with guns, hundreds of cloned debit cards and more than
$56,000 in cash face federal charges in the case, court records show.

Arman Vardanyan, 22, of Las Vegas and Eduard Arakelyan, 20, of North
Hollywood (Los Angeles County) have been charged in U.S. District Court
in Oakland with access-device fraud and possession of unauthorized
access devices.

Pleasant Hill police arrested the two July 10 after they responded
to reports of a pair of suspicious men hanging around an ATM at a
Citibank at 700 Contra Costa Blvd.

A search of both men, their car and their room at the Pleasant Hill
Inn uncovered two loaded and concealed handguns, 963 re-encoded debit
cards and $56,599 in cash, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Paul
Grimm wrote in an affidavit.

Bank surveillance video showed the men making withdrawals totaling
$21,270, Grimm wrote. The account numbers on the cloned debit cards
were from more than 32 banks, authorities said.

Both men are free on bond. They are alleged members of an Armenian
gang, according to the affidavit, citing intelligence gathered by
Los Angeles police.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress