2 Foreign Nationals Among 11 Arrested on Charges They Used Stolen Identities to Fraudulently Obtain Loans Backed by Properties

LOS ANGELES - Eleven defendants - including two foreign nationals - were arrested today on a 15-count federal indictment charging them with executing a scheme in which they stole the identities of elderly victims, used that information to obtain title reports for residential properties, then solicited millions of dollars in hard money loans from private lenders by falsely representing the loans as being secured by the elderly victims' properties.

The following defendants were arrested this morning and all but two of them are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles:

• Nazaret Chakrian, 65, a.k.a. "Niko," of Hollywood;
• Arnold Moradians, 57, a.k.a. "Julian," of Hollywood, an Iranian national who has an outstanding warrant for removal from the United States;
• Avetis Hekimyan, 38, a.k.a. "Chef Avo," of North Hollywood;
• Ross Tarkhan, 32, of Glendale;
• Tigran Hovanesian, 56, of Glendale;
• Armen Vardevaryan, 55, a.k.a. "Gonch," of North Hollywood;
• Craig Higdon, 66, of Naples, Florida, who will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Florida;
• Helen Spangler, 62, of Oakdale, California, who will make her initial appearance in the Eastern District of California;
• Victor Lossi, 43, of Thousand Oaks; and
• Marine Sarkisian, 49, of Hollywood, an Azerbaijani national and green card holder.

The following defendant arrested today is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Los Angeles federal court:

• Cynthia Borjas, 51, of Koreatown.

All defendants except Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Chakrian, Moradians, Borjas, Hekimyan, Tarkhan, Spangler, Lossi, and Sarkisian are charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. Chakrian, Moradians, Tarkhan, and Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tarkhan is further charged with five counts of money laundering.

"There is no shortage of massive fraud occurring within California," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "Today's operation represents one of many sophisticated schemes used by criminals - including foreign nationals - to defraud U.S. citizens and taxpayers of their hard-earned property. Those days are over under this U.S. Department of Justice. These defendants will be facing significant prison time for their charged conduct."

"The growing problem of title fraud victimizes homeowners and lenders, many of whom are elderly and have their identities stolen, in addition to their hard-earned money," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "An investigation by the FBI Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, LAPD, and other law enforcement partners led to today's arrests of multiple perpetrators of this cruel scheme who now face lengthy prison sentences."

"The defendants didn't just steal identities, they used those stolen identities to secure high value real estate loans, fabricate financial documents, and move millions of dollars through a maze of fraudulent businesses and funnel accounts," said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. "Our agents traced every wire, every transfer, and every shell account to expose the financial backbone of this conspiracy. This indictment sends a clear message, IRS CI will dismantle the money pipelines that allow complex fraud schemes to flourish, and we will hold accountable those who profit from exploiting our financial system."

According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on February 5, from January 2021 to May 2023, Chakrian and Moradians fraudulently obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of elderly victims. The victims owned properties in Santa Monica and in the following Los Angeles neighborhoods: Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Westwood, and Chinatown.

Chakrian and Higdon then used the victims' PII to create counterfeit identification documents. Borjas and Hekimyan created email accounts in the victims' names to impersonate them.

Using the victims' PII, the fraudulent ID documents, and the fraudulent email addresses, Chakrian, Moradians, Hekimyan, Vardevaryan, and Spangler misrepresented themselves as the victims' agents, brokers, representatives or relatives, and submitted fraudulent applications to private money lenders for hard money loans secured by the victims' properties.

Chakrian, Hekimyan, Higdon, and Spangler created false and fabricated documents - including bank statements, rental agreements, doctors' notes, and death certificates - to the lenders. These documents contained lies about the victims' identities, assets, finances, and health as well as the loan proceeds' intended purpose, and the types of properties being used to secure the loans.

Upon receiving closing documents from the lenders, Chakrian, Hekimyan, Lossi, and Sarkisian caused the documents to be fraudulently notarized and signed by individuals representing the victims.

Tarkhan used stolen PII to create synthetic identities - profiles or ID documents combining fictitious profile information with real victim PII. Using these synthetic identities, Tarkhan caused bank accounts to be opened under false names. These accounts were used to funnel proceeds derived from the scheme.

Private money lenders relied on the false statements, misrepresentations, and certifications to cause funds to be disbursed via check and wire to mailboxes and bank accounts controlled by Chakrian, Tarkhan, and others.

The total intended loss in this case is approximately $17.4 million, and the total actual loss is approximately $6 million.

"This case reflects the relentless work of our investigators and the strong collaboration with our federal partners to unravel a complex and calculated criminal scheme," said Interim Glendale Police Chief Robert William. "Their focus and determination ensured those responsible are held accountable and that justice is delivered."

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud- and money laundering-related count, and a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity theft count.

This case is being investigated by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force (EOCTF) and the Los Angeles Police Department - Commercial Crimes Division. The EOCTF includes agents and task force officers from the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the Glendale Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Claire E. Kelly of the General Crimes Section and Hava Mirell of the Criminal Appeals Section are prosecuting this case.