Five Defendants Indicted Federally For Charges Related To Hanover County Identity Theft Ring

Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment today charging five individuals in relation to an identity theft ring that victimized over 500 individuals in the Metro-Richmond area in December 2006. Those charged in the indictment

• GAGIK URUTYAN, age 21, of Lakewood, New Jersey;
• GEVORG GASPARYAN, age 25, of Glendale, California;
• ANTON MESROPYAN, age 24, of Lakewood, New Jersey;
• SARGIS POGHOSYAN, age 24, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; and
• GEVORG GHAZARYAN, age 25, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

All of the defendants were charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud which carries a maximum penalty of thirty years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $1 million dollars. In addition, defendants Urutyan, Gasparyan and Mesropyan were each charged with two counts of Bank Fraud and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. The penalties for each substantive count of bank fraud are the same as those for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. If convicted of Aggravated Identity Theft, the defendants face a mandatory term of two years of imprisonment on the first count, which must run consecutive to any other sentence imposed, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.00. A consecutive term of two years may also be imposed for a second count of Aggravated Identity Theft, but is not mandatory.

The indictment alleges a conspiracy that began in August 2006 when Gagik Urutyan obtained employment at the Miller’s Neighborhood Market gas station in Mechanicsville, Virginia. It is specifically alleged that Urutyan obtained this employment for the purpose of obtaining access to customers’ bank account and personal identification numbers associated with debit cards. It is further alleged that Urutyan and his co-conspirators used the stolen information to make fraudulent withdrawals from automated teller machines (ATM) in the Richmond area; Northern Virginia; Maryland; Delaware; Pennsylvania; and New Jersey. The majority of the withdrawals were made in December 2006 and total approximately $618,517.35. The indictment includes specific allegations that some of the illegal proceeds were wired to individuals in Armenia and Russia.

The lead defendant – Gagik Urutyan – was originally charged by Criminal Complaint on December 21, 2006 and has been in federal custody since January 4, 2007. Codefendant Anton Mesropyan was arrested in Maryland on May 22, 2007 and will be arraigned this week before the Honorable James R. Spencer, United States District Judge. The remaining defendants are fugitives.

“In the process of investigating prolific financial crimes, local agencies must reach out to other law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, merchants, and citizens to ensure a successful prosecution. The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, while responding to hundreds of such cases in late 2006, was pleased to find the readily available resources of Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force to assist our Investigators. The collaborative effort resulted in enhanced investigative resources and the proper venue for prosecution in a case that extends well beyond the borders of Hanover County,” said Colonel V. Stuart Cook, Sheriff of Hanover County.

Individual victims of the alleged scheme have been identified and may obtain further information from the United States Attorney’s Office by calling 866-378-0527. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the fugitive defendants is asked to contact Crimestoppers at 804-780-1000 or the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office at 804-365-6110.

The case is being investigated by members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force. The investigation was initiated by the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office which has continued to assist in the investigation along with the Task Force. The Task Force was formed in the fall of 2004 and is housed at the offices of the United States Postal Inspection Service, located in Henrico County. Full-time member agencies include: the Postal Inspection Service; United States Secret Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Henrico County Police Department; Richmond Police Department; and Chesterfield Police Department. Associated members include the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington Division.

Federal prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Colombell Marshall.

For more information on the Task Force, including assistance for victims of identity theft, visit: www.richmondIDtheft.com.

Contact:
L. Kendal Smith
571-345-2509
SmithLK2@state.gov 

Jim Rybicki
703-842-4050
usavae.press@usdoj.gov

Susan Vick
804-819-5400
www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae