SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Karapet Damaryan, 66, of Tujunga, CA, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. to three years in prison for aggravated identity theft and bank fraud, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in May 2013, Damaryan assumed the identity of an innocent victim in order to take over the victim’s bank account. Posing as the victim, Damaryan fraudulently wired $141,395 out of the account to a gold coin and bullion store, where he and his co-defendant Garik Voskanyan attempted to use the stolen funds to purchase nearly 100 one-ounce gold coins. The fraud was detected when the victim checked his bank account on the day the fraudulent wire was attempted. Damaryan and Voskanyan were arrested outside the gold store when they arrived to pick up the coins.
This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew G. Morris and Amy Schuller Hitchcock prosecuted the case.
Co-defendant Voskanyan pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and was sentenced on September 15, 2017, to 15 months in prison for his role in the offense.
--DOJ Eastern District of California