Haykaz Mansuryan, Gas Pump Skimming, California 2023

SAN DIEGO, CA – A brazen scheme to steal financial information from unsuspecting gas station customers culminated in a 41-month prison sentence for Haykaz Mansuryan, 34, of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Mansuryan admitted to repeatedly breaching security at gas pumps across Southern California, installing sophisticated skimming devices to pilfer credit and debit card data.

The operation, which ran from August 2018 to October 2021, wasn’t a smash-and-grab. It was a calculated, methodical theft. Mansuryan and his crew didn’t just slap on devices; they broke *into* pumps, installing customized electronic skimmers built by other members of the conspiracy. These devices captured card details during legitimate transactions, allowing the group to create fraudulent cards or sell the stolen data to others.

The scale of the fraud is staggering. Mansuryan confessed to personally profiting $931,213.92 from the scheme. He’s been ordered to forfeit that entire sum and contribute to a $923,374.14 restitution fund for the victims. Law enforcement recovered a chilling 54 skimming devices from gas stations visited by Mansuryan – a testament to the scope of their reach.

U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman minced no words: “The public has the right to safely conduct everyday financial transactions. Anyone who steals from unwitting victims will face justice.” And justice is slowly being served. Robert Fichidzhyan, the skimmer builder, already received 41 months and a $619,923.45 restitution order in January. Margar Simonyan got 12 months and a day, plus forfeiture and restitution, back in June of 2022. But one defendant remains at large.

The investigation isn’t over. Hayk Shakaryan and Vasiliy Polyak are slated for a jury trial on September 12, 2023, and other defendants are still awaiting sentencing. Jason Reynolds, Special Agent in Charge with the San Diego Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service, hailed the collaborative effort of multiple agencies – including the IRS, San Diego Police, and California Department of Food and Agriculture – as key to dismantling this “technical and sophisticated criminal group.”

This wasn’t a solo operation. The U.S. Secret Service, leading the investigation, tapped into resources from across the federal, state, and local levels, as well as partnerships with the financial sector and the National Cyber-Forensics Training Alliance. Victims who suspect they were affected can find more information at www.justice.gov/largecases. The message is clear: preying on unsuspecting consumers won’t pay – and will land you in a federal prison cell.

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