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Crime Spree Ends in Conviction for Two Los Angeles-area Men
Two men, Vagan Adzhemyan, 41, and Suren Garibyan, 32, both from California, were found guilty of kidnapping a Van Nuys man who was shot, shocked with a taser, and held captive for five days in exchange for a $1 million ransom.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was abducted from his mother’s house in the early morning hours of July 29, 2009. During the abduction, he was shot and shocked with a taser before being forced into a waiting vehicle. An associate of the victim was also violently assaulted by the kidnappers.
According to evidence presented during the two-week trial, the kidnapping victim was bound and forced to wear a blindfold as he was held at various locations in southern California. The kidnappers directed him to use cellular telephones to make calls to family members and close associates in the Los Angeles area and in Russia to secure the ransom.
The victim was found lying on an air mattress at Galvin Shaun Gibson’s Mira Loma residence on August 3, 2009, unable to move on his own. One of Gibson’s pit bull dogs kept watch over him. Officers were able to locate the kidnappers and the place where the victim was being held following an extensive undercover surveillance operation conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The victim was hospitalized for more than a month after being rescued and underwent three surgeries during his hospitalization. Adzhemyan and Gibson used the victim’s ATM card to withdraw the maximum amount of cash from the victim’s bank account on three separate occasions while he was being held in captivity.
At sentencing, scheduled for August 2, 2010, Adzhemyan and Gibson each face a maximum penalty of life in prison. Garibyan, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping on December 30, 2009, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2010.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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