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Armenian Power gang leader gets 32 years; tied to $1 M credit card skimming at
99 Cent Only stores A co-leader of the Armenian Power gang was handed
a 32-year federal prison term Monday for multiple racketeering crimes, including
extortion, bank fraud and operating a debit card skimming operation that
siphoned more than $1 million from thousands of customers at 99 Cents Only
stores across the Southland. Mher "Capone" Darbinyan, 39, of Valencia, showed no
reaction as U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner pronounced sentence and set a
restitution hearing for February. Darbinyan was an Armenian Power leader who
operated a sophisticated bank fraud scheme that used middlemen and runners to
deposit and cash hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks drawn on
the accounts of elderly customers and jewelry businesses. He also orchestrated a
scheme that involved the installation of skimmers in 99 Cents Only stores in
Riverside, Whittier, Huntington Beach, San Diego and elsewhere that were used to
steal customers' debit card numbers and PIN codes. Darbinyan was additionally
found guilty of conspiring to extort funds from a member of the Armenian
community using threats of violence. He also possessed, on two occasions,
firearms and ammunition after having previously been convicted of felony grand
theft for his role in a 2004 debit card fraud scheme. Klausner called the crimes
in the case "heinous."
mynewsla.com
 Fencing
Operation: 3 with James Bond Gang ties, jeweler fence busted by Bergen Co, NJ
Prosecutor's Strike Force A joint investigation headed by the Bergen
County Prosecutor's Office and involving Englewood and Teaneck police and
several other law enforcement agencies led to the arrests last week of three
accused burglars with reputed ties to the infamous James Bond Gang and a Queens
man accused of buying jewelry they took in more than 30 break-ins in three
counties. CLIFFVIEW PILOT broke the story last week of the arrests in Queens of
three Teaneck men - Jamelle Singletary, 26, and Lawal Erskine and Jamal Sermon,
both 30 - as they were fencing the goods in Queens. Bergen County Prosecutor
John L. Molinelli elaborated tonight, while announcing the additional arrest of
the alleged fence, David Tadjiev, 38, of Astoria. The burglars operated much the
same way as their Bond Gang predecessors - only without a hi-tech rigged car
that gave the original crew its name.
cliffviewpilot.com
 $35,000
purse stolen from Carmel, California boutique At 4 a.m. on Nov. 4, all
was quite in Carmel by the Sea until someone burst through an upscale store's
window display and stole designer handbags. The clever crook knew what he or she
was after in the Italian boutique Bottega Veneta, because one of the bags
grabbed was worth $35,000. A Bottega Veneta employee said the purse was the last
of its kind for sale in the United States. It was made out of a single pristine
piece of crocodile. A search of Bottega Veneta's website shows the most
expensive purse made of crocodile sells for $29,600, but special unique bags in
certain stores go for higher price tags. Investigators believe the thief cased
the Carmel Plaza store in advance because the smash-and-grab was pulled off in
under 60 seconds. Police also suspect the person was part of an organized crime
ring. Security cameras recorded the thief fleeing in a waiting vehicle, and the
purses were long gone by the time police arrived. No arrests have been made.
ksbw.com
Ocala, FL man leads Police on high speed chase; fleeing felony warrant for grand
theft of baby formula A high-speed chase that snaked through a
residential neighborhood on Sunday night ended when the driver of a stolen car
crashed the vehicle into a light pole. Karl Alphonso McLeod, 19, said he did not
stop because he was wanted on a warrant for not appearing in court on a grand
theft case in which he reportedly admitted to taking $1,500 in baby formula from
Wal-Mart. He said half of the formula went to his baby and the other half he
sold.
ocala.com
Three Suspects sought in $1,300 perfume theft from Ulta in Citrus Park, FL
Hillsborough County deputies are seeking three suspects in the theft of more
than $1,300 in perfume and cologne from a beauty store in the Citrus Park area
of Tampa last month. Deputies say one man and two women entered the Ulta store,
at 12715 Citrus Park Plaza, around 9 p.m. on Oct. 28, and placed several bottles
in their bags.
tbo.com
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