Armenian crime boss arrested in U.S.

A large network of Armenian criminals and their associates used phantom health care clinics and other means, cheating Medicare out of $163 million, various US news papers have reported.

The operation was under the protection of an Armenian criminal boss Armen Kazaryan, who lived in Los Angeles.

Over 73 people were charged by federal prosecutors in New York. Most of the defendants were captured during raids in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as in New Mexico, Georgia and Ohio.

Kazaryan and two alleged ringleaders-Davit Mirzoyan, 34 and Robert Terdjanyan, 35 were named in an indictment charging bank fraud, money laundering and racketeering conspiracy. They are charged with being involved in stolen credit cards, untaxed cigarettes and counterfeit Viagra.