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Armenian Power 13, also known as AP, the Armenian Mob, or Armenian Mafia is an
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
criminal organization In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
and
street gang A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...
founded and currently based in
Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...
.Krikorian, Michael (August 17, 1997)
Violent Gang Is a Stain on a Proud Ethnic Community Series: The rise of a small street gang, Armenian Power, is causing a tragic cycle of fear and death.
''Los Angeles Times''

They are involved in drug trafficking, murder, assault, fraud, identity theft, illegal gambling, kidnapping,
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...
, robbery and
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...
. They are believed to have around 200 members and hundreds of associates, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. They are also well known for their connections with the
Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins i ...
.


History

Armenian Power is believed to have been co-founded in the early 1990s by Armenian-American gangster Armen “Silent” Petrosyan. When 15-year-old Armen Petrosyan arrived in East Hollywood from Armenia in 1989, he encountered larger, long-established street gangs that often preyed upon the smaller and more recent group of Armenian immigrants. Petrosyan and his friends formed a defensive alliance that grew into the Armenian Power street gang, which, at its peak in the mid-1990s, had about 120 members. According to a 1996 report by the Office of the California Attorney General, Armenian Power has strong ties to Russian organized crime. In the summer of 1988, two dozen gang members took over the parking lot of a mini-mall in East Hollywood and turned it into their headquarters. They intimidated patrons of the mall's restaurants and clothing stores, forcing the shop owners to hire some off-duty
LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
officers for security. By mid-1997 the Armenian Power gang was believed to be responsible for a dozen driveby murders.Rodriguez, Luis (2003). ''Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times'', p. 38. Seven Stories Press, AP leadership also maintains ties to
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and deals directly with high level Armenian/Russian organized crime figures. Gang activity has never been reported in East Coast, Midwestern, Northern or Southern Armenian-American communities primarily composed of Van (central) Armenians, Syrian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armenians. The unique ethnic composition of the Los Angeles area, which had a strong presence of many different gangs, played a major role in the creation of the Armenian Power gang. Though on the street-level Armenian Power may seem to be merely a loosely organized youth street gang, the street gang component is merely one aspect of the organization, with younger street gang members often serving as the enforcement arm or "soldiers" for a more organized Armenian-American criminal organization consisting of higher-up members. Armenian Power's status as a highly organized crime group rather than simply a street gang became apparent when Armenian-American gangsters were found to be involved in the
2010 Medicaid fraud A case of Medicaid fraud was carried out in 2010 by an Armenian-American organized crime group called the Mirzoyan–Terdjanian organization. The scam involved a crime syndicate which created 118 fake clinics in 25 states and used stolen medical ...
case and the 2011
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
-led
Operation Power Outage Operation Power Outage was a sting operation targeted at arresting and indicting members of the criminal group Armenian Power operating in the United States. The group is accused of racketeering offenses, bank fraud schemes, kidnappings, and drug t ...
. According to the official FBI website: "The Southern California crime ring called Armenian Power may look like a traditional street gang—members identify themselves with tattoos and gang clothing—but the group is really an international organized crime enterprise whose illegal activities allegedly range from
bank fraud Bank fraud is the use of potentially illegal means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently posing as a bank or other financial institution. In many ins ...
and
identity theft Identity theft, identity piracy or identity infringement occurs when someone uses another's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. ...
to violent
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...
and kidnapping." On November 4, 2019, Armenian Power "shot caller" Mher Darbinyan was sentenced to a 32-year prison term. He faces
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
to
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
once he is released.


Mexican-Armenian conflict

Armenian Power has had a history of conflict with Sureño gangs, which are controlled by the
Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins i ...
, in the past, but the war is thought to have ended in recent years.Ryan, Harriet (September 19, 2003)
Mark Geragos out of Peterson spotlight.
CNN
Yablonsky, Lewis (2005). ''Gangs in court''. Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company. . Armen "Silent" Petrosyan, a founder of Armenian Power, was shot to death on May 22, 2000 by Jose Argueta, a member of the Sureño
White Fence White Fence (also known by the acronym WF) is a predominantly Mexican American street gang in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Eastside Los Angeles, East Los Angeles. History White Fence is one of the oldest gangs in Los Angeles. The gang its ...
gang.Krikorkian, Michael (February 2, 2001)
Gang Violence Claimed Man Who Tried to Change; Crime: The conviction of his killer closes the final chapter in the story of a former Armenian Power leader who was slain in inter-ethnic strife
''Los Angeles Times''
Archive
In 2000, the murder of a 17-year-old Mexican-American outside of Hoover High School in Glendale by Armenian Power members sparked dialogue to find ways to help end the war between the gangs.Rodriguez, Luis (2003). ''Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times'', p. 327. Seven Stories Press. . Today the
Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins i ...
prison gang A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system. It has a corporate entity and exists into perpetuity. Its membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment. Prison officials and ot ...
collects
protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
from Armenian Power, which has added the number 13 to its name as a sign of loyalty. The two gangs, and the Sureños, now work together to both control and extort
protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
from criminal activities in the Los Angeles area.


Involvement in the Syrian Civil War

In 2014, two US citizens from Los Angeles who declared themselves members of Armenian Power were videotaped in
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
fighting in support of then-Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...
.


Investigations and prosecutions


Operation Power Outage

On February 16, 2011 during
Operation Power Outage Operation Power Outage was a sting operation targeted at arresting and indicting members of the criminal group Armenian Power operating in the United States. The group is accused of racketeering offenses, bank fraud schemes, kidnappings, and drug t ...
over 900 federal and local law enforcement authorities arrested nearly 100 people allegedly involved in Armenian organized crime in the Los Angeles area. Much of the crime was white collar in nature, including
identity theft Identity theft, identity piracy or identity infringement occurs when someone uses another's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. ...
crimes such as
credit card skimming Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The P ...
.Blankstein, Andrew (February 16, 2011)
Nearly 100 charged, dozens arrested in operation targeting Armenian organized crime.
''Los Angeles Times'

Staff report (February 16, 2011)

''New York Times''

The range of crimes included kidnapping, fraud, extortion, identity theft, loansharking, robbery, witness intimidation, drug trafficking, drug charges including marijuana cultivation and bringing narcotics into prison, gun-related offenses, and murder.


In popular culture

* A fictionalized version of the gang, titled "Armenian Might", appeared in multiple seasons of the FX drama series ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
'', which starred
Michael Chiklis Michael Charles Chiklis (; born August 30, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama ''The Shield'' (2002–2008), for which he won the Primet ...
as Detective Vic Mackey. The Armenian Might is a minor antagonist in seasons 1 and 2, the main antagonist of seasons 3 and 6 and the secondary antagonist of season 7. * A fictional Armenian Mob appears in the video game ''
Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
''. Franklin Clinton’s former employer, Simeon Yetarian, is associated with the gang. Many of the younger members of the group dress in the typical Chicano style much like the Armenian Power. * NCIS-Los Angeles mentions the Armenian Mob several times, particularly in Season 2, Episode 11. * A fictionalized Armenian Power appears in Ray Donovan Season 3, particularly in Episode 10 "One Night in Yerevan". * A gang of Armenians is featured in the 2016 crime movie '' Message from the King''. * In Chapter 40 of ''House of Cards'', a member of the Armenian Power gang has dialogue in a prison scene.


See also

* History of the Armenian Americans in Los Angeles *
2010 Medicaid fraud A case of Medicaid fraud was carried out in 2010 by an Armenian-American organized crime group called the Mirzoyan–Terdjanian organization. The scam involved a crime syndicate which created 118 fake clinics in 25 states and used stolen medical ...
* Armenian mafia


References


External links


Roots of the Armenian Power GangArmenian criminal enterprise dealt serious blow
{{Organized crime groups in America Organizations established in 1989 1989 establishments in California Street gangs Gangs in Los Angeles East Hollywood, Los Angeles Armenian-American culture in Los Angeles Armenian-American organized crime groups