Criminal Authority 'Tarzan' Case Sent to Court

The prosecutor initiated public criminal proceedings against A.K. known as "Tarzan" on January 12, 2023, under the third part of Article 258 (extortion of large amounts) and the first part of Article 325 (appeal to a member of a criminal group or a person with a high rank in the criminal hierarchy) of the Criminal Code.

According to the investigation materials, A.K. created an association of individuals with a criminal hierarchy and interpersonal hierarchical relationships in 2022. The purpose of the association is to commit crimes and provide protection for those crimes, involve others in criminal activities, or resolve public or private disputes through violence, threats, coercion, or other illegal actions to obtain illegal benefits or other advantages.

It has been established during the criminal investigation that A.K. agreed to use his authority to resolve a monetary dispute between M.H. and A.H. Specifically, since October 17, 2022, A.K., accompanied by 5-6 unidentified individuals involved in a criminal subculture, held meetings with A.H. During these meetings, using his criminal authority, he threatened violence against A.H. and his close relatives and seized their property, stating that he would solve the debts A.H. owed to M.H., totaling 314 thousand US dollars. A.K. also demanded a share of profits from A.H.’s gas station operations, accompanied by threats of violence against A.H.’s relatives.

During the criminal proceedings, M.H. was charged under the first part of Article 325 for appealing to the criminal authority A.K., known as "Tarzan," to resolve his monetary dispute with A.H. using his illegal influence. On June 28, 2023, the supervising prosecutor confirmed the indictment and submitted the case materials to the first instance court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan.