Smoke-shop owner charged in ID-theft case

A Redmond smoke-shop owner accused of copying customers' debit and credit cards to steal money was charged Friday with four counts of second-degree possession of stolen property and four counts of second-degree theft.

Hrant Mike Aslanyan, also known as Mike Aslanyan, 35, is being held in King County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment Aug. 28 in King County Superior Court.

According to charging papers, Aslanyan told investigators he wouldn't have a problem posting bail, even if it reached $350,000.

At least 150 potential victims have come forward in the case, said Officer Stacey Holland, Redmond police spokeswoman.

Investigators think Aslanyan and others used a device called a "skimmer" to steal bank information and copied customers' credit and debit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs in California.

A skimmer is a handheld device that steals information from the magnetic stripe of debit and credit cards, Holland said.

Once the information is taken from the card, an identical card can be "cloned" to use at an ATM machine or make purchases, according to the charging papers.

Reported cases showed a pattern where victims, after using their cards at Smokers Choice, were notified by their banks that ATM withdrawals had been made in California, according to charging papers.

Investigators think more than $100,000 has been stolen and that the smoke-shop owner was part of a larger criminal organization operating in California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada, according to charging papers.

After Aslanyan was arrested Tuesday at his smoke shop for investigation of more than 20 incidents of identity theft, the number of people who reported to police that they may be victims of the credit-card scam grew significantly.

The nearly eight-month investigation started after detectives traced more than 20 reports of identity theft to Smokers Choice, Holland said.

Police are asking people who think they are victims to visit www.redmond.govand click the link to "Fraud Victims" to fill out a crime report.

Anne Kim: 206-464-2591 or akim@seattletimes.com