Sherman Oaks Man Tries Stealing $163,000 Worth of Beef, Feds Say

A Sherman Oaks man pretended to be a freight hauler in order to steal loads of beef from a Nebraska meat facility, prosecutors say

A Sherman Oaks man is facing up to five years in prison after pleading guilty of trying to steal $163,000 worth of beef from a Nebraska meat facility, federal prosecutors said.

Artak Medjbarian, 33, conspired with others in January 2012 to steal loads of meat cargo by pretending to be freight haulers from an Arizona trucking company that had been given the job of transporting the meat from Nebraska to California, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release issued last week.

When the legitimate trucking company was contacted over a discrepancy in paperwork, the trucking company said it did not operate in the state of Nebraska, and that's when Medjbarian and his co-conspirers' scheme unraveled, prosecutors said.

Authorities said Medjbarian was arrested when he showed up at the meat facility.

Medjbarian was charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and engage in the interstate transportation of stolen property.

Medjbarian was scheduled to be sentenced in October, prosecutors said.

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