Updated news on the Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno, Lucchese and Colombo Organized Crime Families of New York City.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Reputed Armenian mob boss faces 3-plus years in prison, deportation in plea deal with feds


It's back to the old country for this gangster.
A reputed Armenian mob boss pleaded guilty this morning to racketeering conspiracy in a deal that will get him deported once he finishes his time in the slammer.
Armen Kazarian faces up to 37 months behind bars for scheming to shake down an underling for $100,000 after using his influence to erase a debt worth twice that amount.
Kazarian -- who once tooled around in a flashy, $350,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom -- also agreed to forfeit his luxury condo in Glendale, Calif., and nearly $3,500 in cash he was carrying when busted last year.
Speaking through an interpreter in Manhattan federal court, Kazarian, 47, confessed that he was part of an "organization" that "engaged in a pattern of racketeering through multiple acts of extortion."
He also admitted making violent threats over the phone and in person to collect $100,000 from a co-defendant, Varujan Amroyan, between 2006 and 2010.
According to court papers, Kazarian demanded the payment after making an overseas phone call to a fellow "vor" -- a title similar to that of a Mafia godfather" -- on behalf of an associate of Amroyan's.
Upon learning that Amroyan had bought a yacht without paying up first, Kazarian was caught telling another crony to "take it (the yacht) out of his hands."
The feds secretly recorded Kazarian's often-profane threats by tapping his phone while investigating a massive, $163 million Medicare fraud scheme that led to charges against him and more than 70 others last year.
Kazarian's high-profile defense lawyer, Mark Geragos, said there was never any evidence tying Kazarian to that scam, and said "we're gratified" that prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain that dropped those allegations.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara noted that Kazarian is the first "vor" convicted of racketeering in America, adding: "His guilty plea should send a strong message to international gangsters all over the world that if you commit crimes in this country, we will find you, and we will prosecute you with the full force of the law."


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