CAR-THEFT RING BUSTED AFTER PROBE GLENDALE CHARITY IMPLICATED.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

An international organized-crime ring that used a Glendale-based charity as a front to ship $5 million worth of stolen luxury vehicles overseas has been broken up after a 14-month investigation, Los Angeles police announced Wednesday.

Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with the scam - including residents of Glendale, Burbank, Montebello, Los Angeles and Whittier - and arrest warrants have been issued for 11 others suspected of being involved, officials said.

Officials said Burbank residents Garegin Narinyants and Rita Gervorkyan operated Global Human Services, a nonprofit charity that regularly used large shipping containers to send humanitarian relief to Russia, Armenia, Jordan and the Republic of Georgia.

But the organization's true reason for existence was international car theft and fraud, said Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Gary Brennan.

``Certainly, we believe there is an organized-crime connection,'' Brennan said. ``Organized crime groups are involved in all manners of illegal activity to make money ... and we certainly believe this is an organized crime case as well.''

Brennan said that last June, a search of two Global Human Services shipping containers by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Houston uncovered a small shipment of women's shoes - and two expensive, late-model sport utility vehicles hidden behind a false wall of each container.

The cars were stolen or had been fraudulently obtained, Brennan said.

Detectives said they discovered Global Human Services had made more than 200 such shipments overseas in the last two years.

While manifests listed the shipments as clothing and other types of humanitarian aid, 14 more stolen cars were seized by authorities in the Republic of Georgia, Brennan said.

The investigation determined the nonprofits' operators solicited car owners and lease holders of automobiles. The cars' owners would surrender their vehicles to the nonprofit for monetary gain and Global Human Services would then ship the cars overseas, Brennan said.

Once the vehicles were in transit, the owners would report the cars stolen and attempt to collect the insurance money, Brennan said.

``I would say it's a significant size ring,'' said LAPD Commercial Crimes Division Capt. Mike Chambers. ``My division constantly works `chop shops' and businesses involved in criminal enterprises of stealing cars and dismantling cars.

``It's an ongoing problem. Car theft is one of the biggest crimes in L.A. It impacts many people and that's why we put so many resources into fighting it.''

In 2005, 26,691 cars were stolen in the city, down 6.2 percent from the previous year, which Chambers attributed to increased police efforts to catch car thieves.

Still, Southern California was an auto-theft hot spot last year, ranking among the nation's top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of vehicle theft, according to the National Insurance Crimes Bureau, which assisted the LAPD in the investigation.

Officials said that among the outstanding arrest warrants in the case are ones for Los Angeles residents Lioudvig Gevorkian and Gayk Gevorkian, who are believed to have left the country.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 1-877-529-3855.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com