GLENDALE, Calif. (KTLA) — A 27-year-old Glendale man is accused of victimizing hundreds of women in what’s being called a large-scale “sextortion” plot.
Karen “Gary” Kazaryan was arrested without incident on Tuesday by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to authorities, Kazaryan 
hacked into the social media and email accounts of 350 women, and threatened them if they didn’t send him nude photos of themselves.
He is charged in a federal grand jury indictment with 15 counts of computer intrusion and 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, the U.S. attorney’s office said Tuesday.
The indictment alleges that Kazaryan hacked into the victims’ Facebook, Skype and email accounts, and changed the passwords, locking victims out of their own accounts.
He then allegedly searched emails or other files for naked or semi-naked pictures of the women, as well as other information, such as passwords and the names of their friends.
Kazaryan then posed online as those women and sent instant messages to their friends, coaxing them into removing their clothing so that he could view and take pictures of them, according to the indictment.
When those victims found out someone else had posed as their friend, Kazaryan used the photos to “again coerce the victims to remove their clothing on camera,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Federal agents said Kazaryan repeatedly contacted his victims and demanded that they expose their breasts to him on Skype.
Kazaryan also allegedly posted nude photos of some victims on their Facebook pages when they failed to comply with his demands.
In all, authorities recovered about 3,000 pictures of nude or semi-nude women, including those allegedly taken by Kazaryan.
Investigators estimate that Kazaryan victimized more than 350 women, but have not yet identified all of the women whose accounts were hacked.
Following Tuesday’s court hearing, family members of Kazaryan ran from reporters asking about the defendant’s past.
Kazaryan’s bail is set at $75,000. He faces 105 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts.
Possible victims or anyone with information about the case is asked to call the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
55 Comments to “Man Charged in ‘Sextortion’ Plot Targeting 350 Women”
January 29, 2013 at 6:12 PM
This is why h o m o sexuality is a sin.
January 29, 2013 at 8:09 PM
The stakes go up WAY high when you’re dealing with the Feds.
January 29, 2013 at 11:00 PM
it's not
January 30, 2013 at 8:58 PM
Looks like someone is gonna burn in hell.
January 30, 2013 at 10:27 AM
Stating things are sins is a sin.
January 30, 2013 at 11:09 AM
2 + 2 = 100
January 30, 2013 at 9:23 PM
Poohpe' E D i c k ,,,….. So G a y.
January 29, 2013 at 7:05 PM
So this guy can get 105 years for this, but people who commit murder, rape and crimes against children get MUCH less! Way to go America!
January 29, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Sounds about right for a country that values boobs, fb and skype more than children.
January 29, 2013 at 7:21 PM
Here's a suggestion – DON'T TAKE NAKED PICTURES OF YOURSELF!
January 29, 2013 at 8:47 PM
Unless you want to be a Pornstar that is.
January 29, 2013 at 11:00 PM
Couldn't Agree With You More. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!
January 30, 2013 at 5:57 AM
Think of this story the next time you beggg / naggg your girlfriend, wife, or man for a sexy photo.
Through social media sites hackers can access files that are not online. Including sites you have visited lately like back accounts, email, dating sites, etc.
These people are victims of this predator.
January 30, 2013 at 11:16 AM
That's not the solution, buddy. People can have whatever photos they want on their private computer. Hackers aren't entitled to other people's photos just because they can hack.
January 29, 2013 at 7:27 PM
MOOOOOOLLLLEEEEEE
January 30, 2013 at 12:08 PM
MOLLLEEEEEE MOLEEEEEE MOLEEEEEEE
January 29, 2013 at 8:42 PM
Are there any residents in Glendale who are not Armenian? And, if these women had nude photos of themselves online, I would hardly call them "victims". Morons sounds more appropriate.
January 29, 2013 at 10:38 PM
its internet fool! it means he could hack anybody in the world!
January 29, 2013 at 8:52 PM
105 years is a steep price to pay , if he wanted to see T i t s he should have bought a Playboy.
January 29, 2013 at 8:59 PM
His name is correctly pronounced "Garen"
January 29, 2013 at 9:36 PM
the Armenian community will be very proud of this pervert.
January 29, 2013 at 9:49 PM
until I saw the paycheck ov $6738, I have faith …that…my neighbour was like actually receiving money in there spare time at their laptop.. there friend brother has been doing this less than seven months and just now cleard the depts on there home and bourt a great Mercedes. read more at, http://xurl.es/0k2ip
January 29, 2013 at 11:39 PM
not clickin on your monkey porn, go away
January 29, 2013 at 10:35 PM
In the photo he looks like he thinks he's pretty clever! Guess he's finding out otherwise…
January 29, 2013 at 10:59 PM
Well, I hope he gets lots of new friends in the pokie, ones that want to see him naked & if he doesn't cooperate, well, his new friends will have to show him it doesn't pay to mess w/ them. FREAK!!!
January 29, 2013 at 11:05 PM
I think those girls shouldn't show it why r they blaming him. they show it and he took a picture if i show someone its my fault
January 30, 2013 at 3:45 PM
You need to pay attention to the story. The women were black mailed into doing the acts that he asked them to do. If they didn't do what he asked them to do then he would post their private pictures that he found from hacking into their personal emails. It's no ones business why they have those pictures in the first place, it was in their personal and private emails.
January 30, 2013 at 2:09 AM
LOL what a loser. He probably drove a salvage title mercedes and masturbated to the pics while eating hummus and spraying himself with more cologne.
January 30, 2013 at 8:12 AM
Your comment is the best thing I have read today. Well done sir.
January 30, 2013 at 12:06 PM
lmfaooo touche, sad thing is, its probably true
January 30, 2013 at 3:47 PM
LMFAO
January 30, 2013 at 4:49 AM
This happen to me I'm still not over it . it changers your life for ever . I will never trust again he too videos of me and made movies I didn't know until it was too late .. He needs more time
January 30, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Pink = Male closet h o m o sexual bait
January 30, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Thats horrible. But More time? You think he'll live past 105 years in prison???
January 30, 2013 at 5:52 AM
It sounds as if he hacked in and got private photos that were on the computer NOT posted to the internet. . .then used them to threaten and extort. . .All serious crimes.
and had 350 victims that is why he is facing 105 year in federal.
to the people saying the women are at fault for even having the photos in their private computer not online . . .think of this story the next time you beggg / naggg your girlfriend or wife for a sexy photo.
January 30, 2013 at 8:08 AM
I'm an idiot, and I'm white
January 30, 2013 at 10:30 AM
I love white people.
January 30, 2013 at 10:39 AM
must be the KTLA web master
January 30, 2013 at 11:15 AM
no my mom
January 30, 2013 at 10:45 AM
what Peter implied I am stunned that a stay at home mom able to profit $8524 in 4 weeks on the computer. have you seen this site link http://xurl.es/luvy3
January 30, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Social media has made it too easy for people with sexual addictions and exhibitionists to get what they need right at their fingertips. The divorce rate is the highest it has ever been and social media is listed as the number 1 reason for it. Good old fashion morals and values are in the toilet.
January 30, 2013 at 1:24 PM
good . his roomies will just love knocking that smarmy grin down his throat.
January 30, 2013 at 1:31 PM
Bella. I agree that Philip`s posting is unbelievable… on monday I got a new Car from having made $7552 this past 5 weeks and over ten-grand this past munth. it's by-far the easiest work Ive had. I actually started seven months/ago and practically straight away startad making over $72 per/hr. I follow this website, jump15.comCHECK IT OUT
January 30, 2013 at 3:09 PM
Rearry job iz make thats much muniez?
January 30, 2013 at 2:35 PM
man that god he's not Mexican, we have enough news about us
January 30, 2013 at 3:07 PM
Yeah but there's certainly much more news about white male pedophiles, we really have enough news about that
January 30, 2013 at 7:58 PM
More news is about Mexican, but not printed. people just expect that of them
January 30, 2013 at 6:35 PM
is there any of these armo's that aren't common criminals?……no wonder the turks hate them!
January 31, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Yes, you'd think they hated them since they brutally killed ~ 1.5 million right?
What a brilliant observation- best you do a bit more research before stereotyping a race.
February 1, 2013 at 12:51 AM
It is uneducated people like you who read an article then start commenting dumb things just like you have done so above. Get a life and go entertain yourself with things that your bite size brain can handle.
February 2, 2013 at 11:40 AM
Whatever your opinion is of the Armenian people, I think it all boils down to parental guidance or lack thereof. Look, we all have temptations to go out and do bad things. But if no one teaches you at an early age that your bad behavior will eventually lead to criminal activity, someone else, in this case the law, surely will teach you that hard lesson in life and that's what's happening to this young man.
Don't get me wrong, I usually find Armenian people kind of annoying because so few of them, esp. the young male population, understand the basic concept of respecting others ie how impolite it is to cut people off or tailgate drivers on the highway or to neglect non-smoking rules in public places or just to behave and act with modesty once in a while rather than being so full of yourself, obnoxious, and loud all of the time.
But on the other hand, I'm not going to base those negative experiences to generalize their entire culture and say that the Turks were justified in slaughtering their people. That's a bit extreme.
January 30, 2013 at 9:51 PM
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January 30, 2013 at 10:29 PM
350? Now I know that women are stupid.