The United State Attorney’s Office (Southern District of NY) yesterday reported that two Armenians (Narek Marutyan, Saro Mouradian) were sentenced to six years and ten months in prison, respectively, for their participation in a multi-year, coast-to-coast credit card fraud scheme run by a racketeering enterprise referred to as “Pure Armenian Blood” or “P.A.B.”

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Pure Armenian Blood’s members enriched themselves and their criminal associates for almost a decade through fraudulent schemes that involved stealing others’ identities and spending millions of dollars of other people’s money as though there were no consequences.  As a leader of the sophisticated, organized criminal enterprise, Narek Marutyan orchestrated these schemes and reaped the ill-gotten gains.  He now faces years in prison for his crime.  This prosecution reaffirms our unwavering commitment to combating organized crime in all its forms.”

In addition to Marutyan and Mouradian, five other Armenian co-defendants have pled guilty and been sentenced, and one other co-defendant has pled guilty but has not yet been sentenced.