As a result of a two-year investigation, five people, including a former Armenian consul in Los Angeles, have been arrested on charges that they sold official letters to illegal immigrants to help them avoid deportation. Ghalumyan was Armenian consul in Los Angeles from 1999 through 2003, “Asbarez” daily reports.

The five are accused of supplying so-called letters of refusal from the Armenian Consulate for as much as $35,000 apiece.

Investigators believe many of those who purchased the letters were Armenian nationals facing deportation after being convicted of felony offenses in the United States.

Commenting on the ex-consul arrest, the incumbent RA Consul to LA Grigor Hovhannisyan said that is shocked.