Home detention sentence given in check fraud

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

A man charged with trying to pass counterfeit checks at the MGM Grand was sentenced to six months of home detention and five years of probation Monday.

Asatour Magzanian became the second of seven men charged with trying to pass $800,000 in fraudulent cashier's checks on June 13, 2002, at the MGM. The checks were drawn from a fictitious California bank branch.

Magzanian, who was identified as playing a minor role in the counterfeiting operation, could be called upon to testify in January at the trial of the group's alleged ringleader Jimmy Leung.

Leung, who is in federal custody in Las Vegas, and Aziz Massomipour, who is a fugitive, are charged with conspiracy, possession of counterfeit securities, fraudulent use of identification documents, fraudulent use of a credit card and bank fraud in connection with the passing of the checks.

Leung and Massomipour are alleged to have obtained false credit cards and identification cards in an attempt to get the checks cashed.

Before being sentenced, Magzanian pleaded to one count of possessing counterfeit securities and aiding and abetting. Four other defendants, Jaman Khan, Mohammad Nadery, Hans Walton and Henry Davis, have also been charged in the case.

Walton, Davis and Khan all pleaded guilty to counterfeit check charges, and Khan was sentenced to two years in prison in April. Walton and Davis have not yet been sentenced.

Nadery was recommended for pretrial diversion. If he completes a term of supervised release, charges against him will be dropped.