Guilty Plea in Stop & Shop Identity Theft

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — One of the four defendants accused of stealing customers’ credit card information from Stop & Shop checkout terminals has pleaded guilty and now faces up to seven years in prison. Arutyun Shatarevyan pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to court documents, which carry sentences of up to five and two years, respectively, and also include up to $500,000 in fines. He was accused of rigging the keypads at three Stop & Shop stores in Rhode Island and stealing 1,100 credit card accounts. His three co-defendeants, who, like Shatarevyan, are from California, are Amar Ter-Esayan, Michael Stepanian and Gevork Baltadjian. According to reports, Ter-Esayan has hired celebrity lawyer Mark J. Geragos, who has defended singer Michael Jackson, actress Winona Ryder and President Clinton associate Susan McDougal.

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