• Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Staff
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
Header image

MyNewsLA.comLogo

Breaking news for greater Los Angeles and Orange County

Menu

Skip to content
  • Crime
  • Government
  • Business
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Hollywood
  • Life
  • OC
  • New Coronavirus Strain Present in More Than One-Third of Cases in Study
  • Man Killed in Rosemead Shooting
  • Man Shot In South San Gabriel
  • Man In His 40s Shot and Killed On A Street Near Athens Area
  • Driver, 24, Killed In Fiery Crash On State Route 138 In Littlerock

Home » Crime » This Article

Pair Accused of Grand Theft Auto in Sublease Scam for High-End Cars

Posted by Contributing Editor on March 18, 2019 in Crime | Leave a response
Share this article:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Two men are due in court Monday on 40 felony grand theft auto charges stemming from an alleged San Fernando Valley-centered scam targeting buyers of high-end cars like Bentleys and Maseratis that robbed victims of nearly $4 million.

Arman Mave Hazarian, also known as Dean Hazarian, of Tarzana, and Afshin Hashemi, also known as Al Hashemi, of Hollywood, also face six additional felony counts of grand theft. The charges include allegations of taking more than $500,000 through fraud and embezzlement and property valued at more than $3.2 million.

Hazarian and Hashemi, both 47, allegedly used online ads to persuade investors to lease or buy expensive cars and turn them over to the defendants to be subleased at a profit, according to Deputy District Attorney Alex Karkanen of the Automobile Insurance Fraud Division. Instead, the men allegedly sold the cars to unsuspecting buyers and kept the cash, leaving the victims paying a lease for cars they didn’t own or out the cash used for purchases.

The scheme involved the loss of more than 40 vehicles, including Bentley, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Lexus models, prosecutors allege. Some of the victims allegedly provided multiple cars to the defendants, resulting in individual losses of up to $750,000, Karkanen said.

The scammers also defrauding the secondary buyers by never signing over titles to the vehicles, he alleged.

The alleged scam was operated from August 2017 to February, according to the felony complaint, and some of the vehicles were never recovered.

A yearlong investigation was conducted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol as part of the Taskforce for Regional Auto Theft Prevention.

Prosecutors expect to ask for bail of $3.8 million for each defendant, who both face a maximum sentence of more than 15 years in prison if convicted as charged.

Pair Accused of Grand Theft Auto in Sublease Scam for High-End Cars was last modified: March 18th, 2019 by Contributing Editor

Like this story? Don’t miss any breaking news from MyNewsLA.com. Sign up here for your free newsletter.

 

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!

Follow us:
Facebooktwitterrss
Posted in Crime | Tagged accused, auto, cars, Grand, high-end, pair, Scam, Sublease, theft

Advertisement

Get The Latest News by Email!

Sign up here for our free newsletters. We’ll send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon.

 
FORECAST FOR LOS ANGELES
54°
Cloudy
Feels like: 54°F
Wind: 3mph ESE
Humidity: 83%
Pressure: 29.72"Hg
UV index: 0
WedThuFri
77/52°F
70/52°F
63/46°F
Weather forecast Los Angeles, California ▸

Most Popular Today

  • Man Shot to Death in Compton 3,000 views
  • Strong Winds Coming to Southland With Gusts Reaching 75 mph By Tuesday 2,600 views
  • One Person Dies in Offroad Crash outside Riverside, One Injured 2,400 views
  • ‘Loving’ Grandmother, 78, Beaten To Death In Riverside Home Invasion Horror: Suspect Faces Murder One 2,400 views
  • Allergic Reactions to COVID Shot Prompts State Warning 1,800 views

©2021 CalNews Inc.

Menu

  • About
  • Staff
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service