$63 Million Mega-Mansion Purchased with Armenian Corruption Scheme Proceeds – FBI Task Force
HOLMBY HILLS – A complaint filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, whereby the United States alleges that businessman Sedrak Arustamyan said Gagik Khachatryan and his family are responsible for more than $20 million in bribes in exchange for favorable tax treatment of his businesses. A Holmby Hills property was allegedly purchased with these bribe payments.
The property had been recently put up for sale with a listing price of $63,500,000. As a result, a civil forfeiture complaint filed alleges that the mansion was purchased with bribes paid by an Armenian businessman to the family of Gagik Khachatryan, a former high-ranking Armenian public official.
The Department of Justice noted that Gagik Khachatryan, 66, who was known as the “Super Minister,” because of his significant responsibilities, served as Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia from 2008 to 2014 and as Minister of Finance for the Republic of Armenia from 2014 to 2016. In addition, the DOJ reports that Khachatryan and his sons are charged in Armenia with receiving bribes in violation of the criminal code of the Republic of Armenia. Criminal charges are also pending in Armenia against Arustamyan for paying bribes.
Not only are Khachatryan and his sons charged in Armenia with receiving bribes in violation of the criminal code of the Republic of Armenia, but Criminal charges are also pending in Armenia against Arustamyan for paying bribes.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force (EOCTF) and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Republic of Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office and National Security Service provided critical assistance. The EOCTF is composed of multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Glendale Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
