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Federal authorities are looking to seize a Los Angeles mega-mansion in the Holmby Hills community. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the home was bought for $14.4 million in 2011 by a trust on behalf of the former minister of Armenia 66-year-old Gagik Khachatryan, and his two sons, who are all facing criminal charges in Armenia.
Investigators say the 33,652-square-foot mansion near Hugh Hefner's former Playboy Mansion was purchased with millions in bribe money from an Armenian businessman paid to the family. According to NBC Los Angeles, Khachatryan chaired the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia from 2008 to 2014 and was minister of finance for the Republic of Armenia from 2014 to 2016. He is known as the "Super Minister."
In the complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, May 2, the DOJ alleges that businessman Sedrak Arustamyan paid Khachatryan over $20 million in bribes in exchange for favorable tax treatment of his businesses. That bribe money was allegedly used to purchase the Holmby Hills property on South Mapleton Drive, which has recently been listed for sale for $63.5 million. Khachatryan and his sons are also charged in Armenia with receiving bribes in violation of the criminal code of the Republic of Armenia.