A Burbank blood lab owner is facing charges for cheating the IRS out of a hefty $5.8 million tab. Armen Muradyan, 58, got slapped with a tax evasion indictment, accused of using a frontman to pocket Medicare cash meant for his biz, Genex Laboratories Inc., the Justice Department announced.
Snagged at LAX on April 9 just as he was about to skip town on a one-way ticket to Armenia, Muradyan is now cooling his heels in federal custody. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the lab boss allegedly roped in his pal, known only as "L.S.," to pose as the owner for a $2,000 monthly fee — a small price to pay to duck out of a nearly $6 million tax bill.
Through this scheme, Muradyan supposedly dodged Medicare's blacklist, steering clear while L.S. put their John Hancock on the necessary documents. The feds painted a picture of "L.S." as a mere puppet, with Muradyan pulling the strings, even managing the bank accounts opened in L.S.’s name.
From 2015 to 2020, the duo played the system — or so the indictment alleges. L.S. reported Genex's dollars and cents on his personal taxes as if the company was barely breaking even, while Muradyan lived it up on a lavish lifestyle funded by the millions flowing in from Medicare, the court documents spill. All the while, his own tax returns claimed he was scraping by on $40K a year.
The DOJ’s numbers crunchers claim Muradyan's real take was north of a staggering $16 million, leaving Uncle Sam short roughly $5.8 million in taxes. Muradyan's due in court for arraignment on April 29, when he'll face the music. Meanwhile, the IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, and HHS – Office of Inspector General are delving deeper into the alleged scheme with Assistant United States Attorney Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorney Mahana K. Weidler of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division leading the prosecution.
Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy confirmed the details, noting that despite the serious charges, remember, an indictment ain't nothing but an allegation till proven in a court of law.
