GUNS SOLD AT CHURCH, U.S. SAYS : CONGREGATION NOT UNDER INVESTIGATION.

Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer

A La Crescenta resident cut deals to sell AK-47s and other guns out of an office of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale, according to a federal affidavit released Wednesday.

Arthur Kabadaian, 40, was arrested at his home last week by Los Angeles police and federal agents on suspicion of illegally selling guns. According to an affidavit filed by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Kabadaian arranged to sell firearms to undercover agents from a church office and from a church parking lot.

A spokesman for the ATF said no church officials appear to have been involved in the gun operation.

Also arrested was Kabadaian's partner, Larry Lenenberg. Both men were charged in U.S. District Court with selling firearms without a license and transferring unregistered firearms. While Lenenberg allegedly spoke with undercover agents about weapon sales at gun shows and local restaurants, Kabadaian used a church office and the parking lot for meetings with them, according to the affidavit filed Jan. 23 by ATF Special Agent Douglas daCosta.

``Kabadaian invited undercover agents into an office located on the lower level of the church building. He explained that the church office was his office,'' daCosta wrote. ``Once in the office Kabadaian proceeded to display 20 firearms.''

Kabadaian and Lenenberg and their lawyers could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

At the time of his arrest last week, law enforcement officials seized more than 400 guns from the home where Kabadaian lives with his parents, Stepan and Mary Kabadaian in La Crescenta. Stepan Kabadaian is the chairman of the board of trustees of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church. John D'Angelo, a spokesman for the ATF, said officials do not believe that Stepan was involved in any of his son's activities.

``From what we can tell, nobody else at the church was involved,'' D'Angelo said. St. Mary's Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian said church officials knew nothing about the alleged gun-selling operation, but called the disclosures in the affidavit a ``major problem'' for his congregation.

``If anything like this happened, I feel sorry for that,'' Tabakian said. ``If we knew about it we wouldn't let them do anything like that.''

The church has 6,000 members and is the highest-profile community, religious and cultural center for the city's large population of Armenian immigrants.

Tabakian said parishioners have been calling the church office to ask about the allegations.

``They are upset. It's a little hard for us not knowing the truth,'' Tabakian said. ``We are going to have to be more careful. We're going to have more security on the premises.''

Tabakian said Arthur Kabadaian is not a regular visitor at the church.

``I've never seen him around the church,'' Tabakian said. ``We've never been in touch with the son. His father did tell us that his son is a collector, that he used to collect antique guns.''

Hovan Tashjian, executive secretary of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, said federal agents are alleging wrongdoing by an individual, not the church.

``The church knows nothing about this,'' Tashjian said. ``The church is not involved.''

U.S. Attorney Jerry Friedberg, who is prosecuting the case, said the church is not under investigation at this time.

In the affidavit, daCosta wrote that Kabadaian at one point was offering a $25,000 ``assault package,'' which included two AK-47 assault rifles, a Valmet rifle, an Uzi 9 mm pistol and various other guns.

On Monday, a U.S. magistrate ordered Kabadaian held on $50,000 bond. Lenenberg was ordered held on $15,000 bond.

Friedberg said both men had posted bonds and been released.