Philly Man Admits Role in $3.5M Gas Pump Skimming Ring

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Another cog in a sophisticated gas pump skimming operation has turned himself in. Timurbek Khasanov, 38, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a scheme that bled nearly $500,000 from financial institutions and the U.S. Postal Service, with intended losses exceeding a staggering $3.5 million. The operation, which stretched across Northern Virginia and beyond, involved the systematic theft of credit and debit card information from compromised gas pumps.

Federal prosecutors detailed how Khasanov and at least six co-conspirators attached “skimmers” – electronic devices designed to capture payment card data – to gas pump payment systems. The stolen information was then encoded onto physical payment cards, effectively cloning the victims’ accounts. These cloned cards were used to drain ATMs and purchase U.S. Postal Service money orders throughout the region. Between May and August 2017 alone, Khasanov personally raked in at least $5,100 in unauthorized ATM withdrawals and $6,200 in fraudulent money orders.

Khasanov’s guilty plea includes charges of bank fraud and wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment. He also admitted to aggravated identity theft, a charge that carries a mandatory two-year sentence that will run consecutively to any other prison time. His sentencing is scheduled for September 6th before U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. While the maximum penalties are severe, federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors will ultimately determine the final sentence handed down.

Khasanov isn’t the only one facing justice. Six other individuals have already been charged, pleaded guilty, and received sentences in connection with the same criminal enterprise. Rudolf Mekhakian, 31, of Van Nuys, CA, received 90 months. Radik Karapetyan, 25, of North Hollywood, CA, got 78 months. Siranush Yengibaryan, 24, also of Van Nuys, CA, was sentenced to 66 months. Armen Saplekchian, 37, of Tarzana, CA, received 60 months, while Mushegh Melkonyan, 28, of Las Vegas, NV, got 54 months. Anatoly Zinchenko, 47, of Philadelphia, PA, received a comparatively light sentence of 33 months.

The fallout extends beyond prison walls. Court documents reveal that several of the defendants may face deportation proceedings. Karapetyan and Yengibaryan, both Armenian citizens and green card holders, and Saplekchian, an illegal alien, are all at risk of being removed from the United States. This case underscores the increasingly international nature of financial fraud and the lengths criminals will go to exploit vulnerabilities in everyday systems.

The investigation was a collaborative effort spearheaded by U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with special agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Fairfax County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Berrang and Kellen S. Dwyer are prosecuting the case. A detailed press release and related court documents are available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District Court website.

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