Multi-million Dollar Phone Scheme Men Plead Not Guilty

Men Plead Not Guilty in Multi-million Dollar Phone Scheme

Men Plead Not Guilty in Multi-million Dollar Phone Scheme. Two men have pleaded not guilty in California to federal charges alleging they devised a $25 million scheme to illegally unlocked cellphones so they could be used on any carrier’s network.

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U.S. prosecutors said Monday that Argishti Khudaverdyan, 41, of Burbank and Alen Gharehbagloo, 40, of La Cañada Flintridge.

Formerly owned a T-Mobile retail store and used stolen employee credentials to infiltrate the company’s internal computer systems.

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They were arrested following a 21-count grand jury indictment and charged with wire fraud, money laundering and other counts. They were later released on bond.

Investigators say the scheme brought the men more than $25 million when people paid them to get out of their T-Mobile service.

If convicted of all counts, each defendant could face sentences exceeding 200 years.