Armenian Power

[Scary Eire]

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

 

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Southern San Andreas Field Office

 

Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force

Armenian Organized Crime in San Andreas: Fact Sheet
Last updated: 11/MAY/2019

 

The Armenian Power organization — aliases: Armenian Power 13 (AP13); AxP, Vinewood Power Gang; North Vinewood Power Gang; East Vinewood Power Gang; Armenian Mob; Armenian Mafia — is a predominantly Armenian–American criminal enterprise based in the Greater Los Santos metropolitan area where it has remained since inception.

 

Armenian organized crime is unlike more traditional forms of organized crime present in the United States in that it lacks a definitive leadership cadre. Similarly to the associated Russian mafiya cells, members within the organization are primarily ranked according to their individual ability to generate profit though the organization differs from their counterparts through their significant street presence within their neighborhoods of operation. These activities are used to facilitate overt luxurious lifestyles. In gang parlance, this is referred to as "putting in work" or being "active".

 

While the Armenian Power organization is involved in the distribution of Schedule I-III controlled substances as well as arms similar to street gangs, such activities are suspected to only make up a small portion of the gang's income. Instead, there is a focus on white-collar crime — often in conjunction with prominent Russian mafiya figures ("thieves-in-law") — and focused on various forms of fraud. 

 

Members identify themselves through overt gang tattoos ^{Attachments 1a., 1b.} and knuckles tattoos, ^1c. potentially in homage to Russian prison art as well as gang signs that showcase allegiance to the Mexican Mafia Sureño program ^2a. and "AP" for "Armenian Power". ^2b.

 

Timeline

1988 Locotes 13 member Edgar “Troubs” Luna sentenced to life in Fort Carson High Desert (San Andreas State Prison; SASP-FC) for murder; joins Mexican Mafia due to Sureño¹ affiliation; later becomes keyholder²

1989 First recorded presence of Armenian Power in East Vinewood
1990 Armenian Power sets recorded in numerous Armenian communities within Greater Los Santos area; San Gabriel Valley, et al.
1991 Eastern Armenians begin to move to the United States following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and ensuing economic instability. Los Santos becomes largest concentration of Armenian diaspora outside Armenia
1993 Armenian vory v zakone³ Matous “Yego” Yeghoyan and Asbed “Abe” Grigoryan enter San Andreas on Nagorno-Karabakh refugee visas
1994 7 Armenian Power incarcerated in SASP-FC. Armenian Power becomes taxed by Mexican Mafia under “Troubs” Luna for protection inside and outside correctional system
1995 Various internal conflicts break out within the Armenian Power sets over adoption of the “Eme”⁴ and inclusion in the Sureño system. Two AP members shot dead at a heroin stash house operated by Armenian vory; Yeghoyan and Grigoryan broker peace deal between the remaining AP sets and Mexican Mafia
2000s Various internecine conflicts within West Coast–based Eurasian organized crime groups. Operation Iron Curtain (FBI) begins
2010s Nadiryan brothers of the Yeghoyan–Grigoryan organization are incarcerated on triple homicide. “Uzi” Nadiryan becomes state witness. Remaining Nadiryan brother killed in prison in retaliation. Yeghoyan and Grigoyan disappear, reappearing in Moscow in 2014
2011 Operation Power Outage (FBI, et al.) begins targeting Armenian Power operations in the Greater Los Santos area

 

¹ Archive: Hispanic-American Street Gangs, West Coast: Fact Sheet

² Archive: Glossary of terms, Security Threat Groups

³ Russian. Trans., "thief in law". Archive: Glossary of terms, Eurasian Organized Crime

⁴ Spanish. Trans., "M". Archive: Glossary of terms, Hispanic-American Street Gangs, West Coast; Glossary of terms, Security Threat Groups

 

Key points

• Armenian Power has a street presence as well as a minor prison presence. The latter falls under the banner of the Mexican Mafia STG or “Eme”
• Lower-ranking members will dress similarly to Surenos and other Hispanic-American gang members
• High-ranking members dress more professionally with designer clothes and luxury vehicles. They are also involved in more sophisticated white-collar crime
• Induction into the organization differs depending on age and criminal provenance
• The groups have connections to transnational crime through the vory v zakone as well as through connections with the Mexican Mafia and international Armenian and Russian diasporas
• Ultimately, Armenian Power and similar Armenian organizations within the State of San Andreas appear to answer to vory v zakone and other similar ex-Soviet criminal figureheads

 

Attachments

_^1.

  

Various identifiers of Armenian-American criminals featuring Orthodox iconography, knuckle tattoos (in the style of Russian mafiya "avtorityeti"), and national symbols.

 

_2.

 

Gang sign identifiers showing allegiance to the Westside ("W", "W/S") Armenian Power, the Mexican Mafia ("M"), Sureño ("S") sets, as well as Armenian Power ("AP") sets in general.

[Aberdeen]

Out of character information
This faction is the latest in LS-RP's Eurasian OC continuum, of which numerous prominent official and unofficial factions have been a part.

 

Armenian Power acts as street-level enforcers for both the Los Santos-based Eurasian organized crime interests – better known as the “Russian mafiya” – as well as the prison-based Mexican Mafia (“Eme”) and their Sureño counterparts. While the group does share many aesthetic similarities with L.A. cholo culture, operationally they are much more diverse, with transnational connections stretching half way across the world thanks to the diaspora of the former Soviet Union, and are typically more involved in white-collar crimes than Hispanic gangs.

 

At the time of writing, this faction sits under the authority of LS thief-in-law Marat Gusarov and his brigada but operates with the autonomy of a familiar West Coast street gang.

 

CK permissions will be assumed by your posting in this thread or via Discord.

 

Related factions

• Armenian Power enforces for Mexican Mafia under “key-holder” Edgar “Troubs” Luna
• Armenian–American organized crime figures involved with Petrela—Bajraktari weapon smuggling conspiracy
• Armenian Power resurgence around Central Avenue under Vahan Torosyan following Operational Power Outage
• Armenian figures found tied to identity fraud, luxury car theft rings lead by LS–based Russian and Armenian “thieves-in-law” Naum Kaplan, “Grisha” Aranovich, Ulan Zada, Matous Yeghoyan, among others

 

Useful resources

• 13 Members and Associates of Rival Armenian Syndicates Arrested on Federal Complaints Alleging Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, Theft
• Rival Armenian Mob Heads Arrested in Blood Feud Sparked at Burbank Home
• Armenian Power Grand Jury RICO Indictment
• (LSRP) Guide to Roleplaying an Armenian by Kanpol

Edited June 4 by Aberdeen

[Zaw]

Good luck that's all I can say 

[Kev]

[hari kvoter]

hihi

[tradition keeper]

davai

[trksthtmn]

👀

[convicted felon]

the real AP

[night of fire]

looks good

[war on drugs]

[Clack]

Shat lav.

[Henry_Scaviolla]

This will be great.

[DaMightyOne]

@asquareddd

 

[Michael_Dippolito]

Good stuff. 🔥 

[asquareddd]

nice