51-Year-Old Woman Embezzled Large Sums on U.S. Visas

The investigation by the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia into the case of a Yerevan resident charged with embezzling money through fraud has been completed. She has been formally charged.

As a result of a comprehensive investigation conducted under the case, it was established that from September 2016 to August 2018, a Yerevan resident, born in 1967, acting on behalf of a closed joint-stock company involved in tourism, demanded and received large sums of money from various individuals as a deposit for assisting them in obtaining U.S. visas. She had previously agreed that the said amount would serve as a financial guarantee for the return of funds from the U.S., and that the funds would be returned if the U.S. embassy denied the issuance of a visa. However, the U.S. embassy rejected the visa applications of these individuals, and the 51-year-old woman did not return the large sums entrusted to her as guarantees, embezzling the money instead.

According to the data obtained during the investigation, the 51-year-old woman also embezzled large amounts entrusted to her by various citizens intended for transferring money to the People's Republic of China for purchasing goods, as well as for assisting in obtaining visas for Canada.

Additionally, during the same period, knowing that several citizens had been denied entry permits by the U.S. embassy, and being aware of the absence of a procedure for reviewing rejection appeals, she once again acted under the name of the aforementioned closed joint-stock company. With fraudulent intent to embezzle particularly large sums of money, she deceitfully obtained large amounts under the pretext of preparing an appeal for visa issuance for these individuals.

Based on a sufficient combination of evidence, the resident of Yerevan has been charged under Article 179, Part 3(1), Article 178, Part 2(2), and Article 178, Part 3(1) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. As a precautionary measure, she has been remanded in custody.

The preliminary investigation has been completed, and the criminal case has been sent to court with an indictment.

Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia