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Los Angeles Times
11-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Hitmen on motorbikes, wearing clown masks: Armenian gang war roils San Fernando Valley
A motorcyclist coasted to a stop on a sun-baked street in the San Fernando Valley. He retrieved a stepladder from the bed of a pickup truck and leaned it against a high metal fence that encircled a two-story house. Observing the late afternoon scene was a man who lived next door to the fenced-off home. The neighbor, who declined to be named for fear of retaliation, told The Times he watched in disbelief as the motorcyclist — still wearing a helmet — climbed up the ladder and opened fire with a rifle. According to federal authorities, the neighbor had witnessed a salvo in a war between rival crews of Armenian criminals. The target of the attempted hit on Aug. 18, 2023, was Vahan Harutyunyan, a convicted fraud artist and money launderer, a federal agent wrote in an affidavit. The affidavit describes a violent turn within Armenian organized crime circles, whose operators have historically preferred to make money quietly rather than wage wars that invite attention from the police. In normally-placid suburbs of the San Fernando Valley and Burbank, organized crime leaders and their families were targeted by masked shooters who allegedly used drones and tracking devices to conduct surveillance. Last month, authorities arrested 13 men, including Harutyunyan, 49, who has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping charges. His former neighbor said he had no idea he was living next door to an alleged gangster. But after Harutyunyan was shot six times in a second attack, the neighbor said, 'I figured he had enemies.' In Los Angeles, home to a thriving community of Armenian emigres, there is no single group that can be described as the 'Armenian mob,' according to law enforcement and criminal sources who requested anonymity to discuss pending investigations and avoid retaliation. The sources said the city's Armenian underworld is comprised of independent operators who collaborate on rackets that include insurance fraud, drug dealing, fuel theft, credit card scams, protection shakedowns and kidnappings for ransom. When a deal goes wrong, these criminals rely on an informal mediation system overseen by bosses called 'thieves in law,' who are backed by organized crime leaders in Russia, Jerome Sandoval, a Homeland Security Investigations agent, wrote in an affidavit. For years, the only 'thief in law' in Los Angeles was Armen Kazarian, Sandoval wrote. Kazarian, nicknamed Pzo, was admitted to the United States in 1996 as a refugee, prosecutors wrote in a 2010 memo. He settled in Glendale, where he lived in a luxury condominium tower and was chauffeured in a white Rolls Royce Phantom, according to surveillance records reviewed by The Times. Agents watched the 5-feet-3 Kazarian, who favored velour track suits and newsboy caps, meet at spas and restaurants with scammers and drug traffickers. 'Everybody had to bow down to him,' said a former Kazarian associate who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. In 2010, Kazarian was charged with racketeering. Federal prosecutors in New York alleged he arbitrated conflicts between operators of sham clinics that defrauded Medicare of $35 million. He pleaded guilty and served three years in prison. After he was spotted gambling in Las Vegas — a violation of his probation — Kazarian was deported to Armenia in 2017. His departure led to a changing of the guard. After he left, Kazarian's former lieutenant narrowly avoided assassination by a crew of hitmen who used a drone to spy on him, according to Sandoval's affidavit. According to Sandoval, two men fought to take Kazarian's place: Robert Amiryan and Ara Artuni. Born in Armenia, Amiryan, nicknamed Fish, served time in federal prison for illegal firearm sales, the agent wrote. A burly man with a beard, shaved head and no neck, Amiryan, 46, is a reputed member of Toonerville, a predominantly Latino gang in Atwater Village. Artuni was born either in Armenia or Iran, Sandoval wrote. Bald and clean-shaven, Artuni, 41, had no criminal record and lived in Porter Ranch. According to Sandoval, Amiryan and Artuni were not 'thieves in law' like Kazarian, but rather 'avtoritets,' a lower-ranking title that still conferred respect within Armenian organized crime circles. Melanie Killedjian, an attorney representing Amiryan, said her client 'denies all the allegations against him and maintains his innocence.' She declined to comment further. Artuni's lawyer declined to comment. According to the federal agent's affidavit, Artuni collected 'tribute' from a crew of underlings who fleeced banks, state medical insurers — and even Amazon. Using fake trucking companies, Artuni's men allegedly stole loads of Keurig coffee pods, coconut coffee body scrub, Weber grills, vacuums, Crockpots, air fryers, toasters and ice makers from the e-commerce giant, which estimated its losses at $83.5 million, the affidavit said. Artuni drew the attention of a task force of Department of Homeland Security agents and Los Angeles and Burbank detectives, who suspected him of orchestrating a mysterious homicide. Authorities charge that Artuni's crew contracted a killer to take out Armen Sahakyan, 41, who lived with his wife and three children in a two-story house near the Verdugo Mountains, a tony part of Burbank where the palm tree-lined streets are named after British towns and Ivy League colleges. Sahakyan's family didn't respond to a message seeking comment, and it's unclear whether he was involved in criminal activity. Whatever his line of work, a coroner's report showed Sahakyan was concerned enough about his safety to sleep with a shotgun under his bed and a revolver within reach. Around 1 a.m. on July 21, 2020, a man wearing black clothes and a clown mask slipped through an unlocked sliding door and crept upstairs to the master bedroom, the coroner's report said. He shot Sahakyan and his wife with a silencer-equipped handgun before Sahakyan grabbed his revolver and fired back. Shot twice in the abdomen, the intruder jumped from a balcony and collapsed in the driveway, the coroner's report says. He tossed his gun under Sahakyan's Rolls Royce before dying. Officers found Sahakyan's wife wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket, shot in the torso and arm, unable to speak, Sandoval wrote. Her husband lay dead on the floor. Detectives learned the intruder, Edward Lopez, 34, was a reputed member of a gang called PAL, short for 'Psycho Ass Life.' Nicknamed 'Bandit,' Lopez had been released from prison three weeks before his death after serving two years for possessing drugs. His family didn't return a request for comment. Lopez left his phone in a black Mercedes Benz parked a block from Sahakyan's house. On it, detectives saw text messages that an alleged member of Artuni's crew sent Lopez the day he got out of prison, offering to take him shopping for clothes and shoes. Phone records indicated he contemplated killing Sahakyan three days earlier, Sandoval wrote. But after lingering near the house for 15 minutes, Lopez left. 'Something told me not tonight,' he texted Artuni's reputed associate. The first act of violence directly targeting Amiryan came the night of April 3, 2023. As Amiryan pulled into his underground garage, a man wearing a ski mask shot at him with an AR-15, Sandoval wrote. To find out who was behind the attempted hit, Amiryan and his crew kidnapped one of Artuni's associates and tortured him for information, according to the agent. The victim's family tracked his phone to a house in Sun Valley. LAPD officers surrounded the home, and Amiryan exited with two others — Harutyunyan and Sevak 'Seco' Gzraryan, the affidavit said. Inside, the decor suggested men taking a break from a grisly job: bottles of Johnnie Walker and Macallan scotch. A pack of Camel cigarettes. Blood spatter and bullet holes in the walls. On Gzraryan's phone, agents found videos of the kidnapping victim being interrogated about the hit on Amiryan, Sandoval wrote. The victim said Artuni was responsible. Hospitalized with broken facial bones, the victim denied to police that he'd been kidnapped and said the men arrested at the house were 'not guilty,' Sandoval wrote. Harutyunyan's lawyer declined to comment. Gzraryan's attorney didn't return a request for comment. A month after the kidnapping, Amiryan and his spouse were sitting on their balcony when a gunman fired from the bed of a red Ford F-150 truck. Amiryan shielded the woman from bullets that struck his abdomen and arm, Sandoval wrote. Then the motorcyclist showed up at Harutyunyan's house. When Harutyunyan moved into the two-story stucco with a red tile roof in North Hills, his neighbor asked what he did for a living. 'Professional gambler,' Harutyunyan replied, according to the neighbor. Born in Armenia, Harutyunyan was convicted in the 1990s of brandishing a replica gun and trying to pass a fraudulent check in Fresno, according to a probation report reviewed by The Times. In 2005, he got involved in a Glendale-based group of fraud artists who used stolen identities of doctors and patients to bill Medicare for fake services, the report said. Harutyunyan didn't know the man he trusted to cash $1.5 million in Medicare checks was an informant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He served four years in prison for conspiring to commit grand theft, money laundering and possessing an assault weapon, court records show. Immediately after moving into the North Hills house, Harutyunyan replaced the railed fence with a solid metal one, his neighbor told The Times. Artuni still managed to spy on Harutyunyan, Sandoval wrote — his phone allegedly contained drone footage of the house filmed 19 days before the motorcyclist opened fire from the stepladder. A week after that shooting, two men standing in the bed of a truck fired rifles into Harutyunyan's backyard, where he was gathered with Amiryan, Gzraryan and others, Sandoval wrote. The barrage 'sounded like machine gun fire, armor piercing rounds,' Harutyunyan's neighbor recalled. A policeman told him the bullets flew through the walls of Harutyunyan's house — even piercing a refrigerator, he said. Shot six times, Harutyunyan told police he had 'no idea' why he was targeted, Sandoval wrote. In April 2024, Artuni flew to Armenia, where Sandoval believed he was reprimanded by 'thieves in law' displeased by his conflict with Amiryan. Photographed at an airport in Dubai, Artuni 'appears to have sustained several injuries and bruises,' the agent wrote. According to Sandoval, Artuni remained in Dubai until November, when he crossed legally from Mexico into the United States — and the war roared back to life. In March, masked men shot Amiryan's spouse as she returned to her Universal City apartment, Sandoval wrote. Two children in her Escalade were apparently unharmed. Federal agents arrested Amiryan, Artuni and 11 alleged members of their respective crews on May 20. On Monday, the two reputed rivals and their associates were led by deputy U.S. marshals into a courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, dressed in white jumpsuits and shackles. Gzraryan hobbled in with a cane and sat just a few feet from the men accused of having him shot outside his Sun Valley home in March. Between smiles, winks and mouthed 'I love you's' to relatives in the audience, the men entered not guilty pleas to charges of kidnapping, racketeering and attempted murder.
India.com
14-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani's Mumbai house has 17 floors, Helipad, they own a private jet worth..., cost of home is...
Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani's Mumbai house has 17 floors, Helipad, they own a private jet worth..., cost of home is... While India's richest man Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani own the headlines with their home Antilia and international gala appearances, Anil and Tina Ambani have built a life that's no less fascinating—albeit wrapped in a slightly more private cocoon. At a time when Mukesh Ambani stays in the headlines for his sky-touching skyscrapers and pre-wedding parties, his younger brother, Anil Ambani, has a no less glamorous existence. Anil and Tina Ambani live in a stunning 17-storey mansion in Mumbai worth Rs 5,000 crore, complete with a helipad, private gyms, and luxury interiors. Their lavish lifestyle includes a Rs 311 crore private jet, a fleet of high-end cars, and a combined net worth exceeding Rs 2,500 crore—despite Anil's past financial setbacks. Once the sixth-richest man on the planet, Anil Ambani with his family stays in Mumbai's Pali Hill at 17-storey residence which is worth staggering Rs 5,000 crore. The house rooftop has a helipad. Spread over 16,000 square feet, the building has 17 floors. Anil Ambani is known to be a car enthusiast and their car collection is no less than Hollywood movies. Rolls Royce Phantom: Price tag—Rs 3.5 crore. A car so regal, it might bow before it lets you in. Lexus SUV: Sleek, sophisticated, and screaming subtle power. Audi Q7: Valued at around Rs 88–97 lakh, it's one of their more 'humble' rides. Mercedes GLK350: Worth Rs 77 lakh, this one blends luxury and muscle like a silk-covered tank. According to reports, Anil Ambani's net worth is approximately Rs 249 crore as of 2024 and Tina Ambani's net worth is a whopping Rs 2,331 crore even after hitting the financial brakes.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How The Lana Is Tapping Into Middle Eastern Wellness Trends
From The Lana's rooftop pool, Dubai's skyline shimmers in the cloudless sky. In the distance, towering over Downtown Dubai is the iconic Burj Khalifa, and down below, the city's Marasai Marina gleams as the sunlight hits its pristine fleet of luxury yachts. Designed by Foster + Partners, The Lana overlooks Marasai Marina. When The Lana, The Dorchester Collection's first hotel in the Middle East, opened last year, it bought a new approach to hospitality in the region. Rather than shouting 'luxury', The Lana whispers it. The building—a bold, interlocking H-Shaped gem that gleams like a piece of jewellery—was designed by British architects Foster + Partners and it sits in the Business Bay area of the city, marking a new dawn for the area and a confident statement from the Dorchester brand. The rooftop pool at High Society, The Lana. Unlike many other hotels in the city, there's no overstated glitz inside the 30-storey hotel, instead it's the epitome of 'quiet luxury'. Interiors across the 225 rooms and suites have been designed by the Parisian duo Gilles & Boissier and ooze sophistication—bedrooms have beautiful detailing, such as pink onyx surfaces, grey-veined marble bathrooms and rose-pink velvet tub chairs. A powdery, barely-there pink is the palette of choice throughout the property—from the sumptuous vases of powder-pink roses in reception to the plaster-pink leather interiors of the lifts, while the carefully curated selection of more than 50 art pieces, commissioned by local and global artists, adds touches of complementary colour. The lobby's gold artwork by Sophie Coryndon. One of these is an oversized wall artwork by British artist Sophie Coryndon, found in the lobby. It's the first thing that greets you after you step out of the hotel's Rolls Royce Phantom, which is the top-end transport of choice to pick guests up from the airport. The art's gold textural finish is sculptural, like overlapping waves, echoing the water of the marina outside as well as giving a nod to the hotel's name. It turns out that 'The Lana' has multiple meanings, says The Dorchester. One, in its Arabic translation, evokes a warm sense of belonging. Another means to gently float in calm water. 'To us, it simply represents a place of tranquility, comfort and exceptional hospitality.' High Society's terrace lounge overlooks the iconic city. At the 30th-floor rooftop, you can literally dive into the waters of the angular swimming pool. Here, you can relax in a poolside cabana, the city laid out before you, and order sun-themed cocktails from High Society, th adjoining bar and restaurant (the signature 'Secrets of the Archipelago' is an inventive twist on a rum cocktail with pineapple, pink pepper, Campari and coffee). Inside a couple's treatment room at The Dior Spa at The Lana. Take the lift down one level to the 29th floor, and you'll enter another one of the hotel's gems: the Dior Spa. The intimate retreat is a paeon to Dior's fashion-rooted luxury: from its navy Toile de Jouy print (found on blankets, curtains and cushions in the therapy rooms) to the circular table of scents in the entrance way. Creamy marble, light wood and floor-to-ceiling windows infuse the space with light, yet the rooms give a cocooning, almost floating feel, to guests as they look out over the urban skyscrapers outside. Krystsina Storazheva, spa director, reveals how the spa brings an alternative to what is on offer elsewhere in Dubai: 'The Dior Spa at The Lana embodies Dubai's luxury spa culture, blending opulence and the best in wellness. However, it's not just a place to get a spa treatment—it's an immersive experience where guests can indulge in the beauty, refinement and sophistication from one of the most prestigious names in fashion.' The Dior Spa is a haven from the city outside. Across five treatment rooms, signature spa rituals are customized so each guest has a personalised experience. As well as cutting-edge technologies, such as cryotherapy, Icoone laser treatments and infrared therapy, there is also a collection of holistic treatments on offer, such as the signature Constellation Massage, which incorporates slow and enveloping movements over the body, to release tension. The spa, says Krystsina, is intuitively tapping into the rise in wellness in the Middle East, It's a trend that has been highlighted in the The Future of Wellness 2025 Trends report, by the Global Wellness Summit. 'The Middle East is emerging as a global wellness leader, blending cultural heritage with cutting-edge innovation and sustainability, fueled by national strategies and vast new developments' says the report. 'Wellness is touching every part of Middle Eastern society, from innovative health solutions to religious gatherings, and as oil-dependent countries seek new revenue streams, wellness is emerging as a prime sector.' Personalisation is key at the Dior Spa. 'There is indeed a growing emphasis on wellness, health, and self-care in the Middle East, as there is worldwide,' says Krystsina. 'The Middle East, being a home for many nationalities, has an advantage of adopting the best wellness practices from across the globe.' She continues: 'What's more, there is a growing interest in a holistic approach to well-being that includes not just physical fitness but also mental, emotional, and spiritual health. In this region, this resonates with traditional practices such as yoga, meditation, and the concept of balance that has existed in many of the region's cultures for centuries. The UAE Government is actively encouraging healthy living amongst its residents and guests by hosting a variety of fitness events, as well as fuelling a growing interest in sustainability, healthy eating, fitness, and stress management.' Wellness is a growing driving force for tourism to Dubai. 'Dubai and the wider Middle East region have established themselves as top wellness destinations by offering a unique combination of luxury, modern healthcare, traditional healing practices, and stunning natural surroundings,' says Krystsina. 'Simply put, they cater to all tastes. Whether visitors seek relaxation, fitness, or holistic treatments, they can find a range of wellness experiences tailored to their needs.' Like elsewhere at The Lana, luxury at the Dior Spa is found in the details: you select from a choice of Dior scents to fragrance your massage oil, for instance; your treatment room has its own relaxation area where you are served tea following your treatment and there are personal fitness sessions and sunrise yoga classes on offer. The Royal Suite Bedroom offers pink-hued luxury. 'Wellness is constantly evolving,' Krystsina tells Forbes. 'But at the moment, personalised wellness is gaining momentum. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all health advice, people are seeking customised solutions that cater to their unique needs, genetics, and lifestyle. This includes personalised fitness plans, DNA-based diet recommendations, and wellness assessments that help individuals discover the best approach to nutrition, fitness, and mental well-being.' She continues: 'There's also an increasing focus on lifestyle practices for longevity. This includes exercise, balanced nutrition, and even mindset techniques aimed at slowing down the aging process while promoting health. Finally, with a growing awareness of the importance of sleep for overall health, sleep optimisation has also become a major focus. This trend involves improving sleep hygiene, using smart mattresses and sleep trackers, and incorporating relaxation rituals.' Luxury is found in the details in a Junior Suite at The Lana. Luckily, sleep health was a priority in the design of The Lana's bedrooms, with slumber easily induced by the most comfortable Vispring mattresses, dressed with soft Frette linens. Once the electric curtains close out the city outside, it's easy to escape to another world.
