SARASOTA - The U.S. State Attorney's Office has charged 23-year-old Edmon Vardanyan for traveling in interstate commerce with intent to kill, injure, harass or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass or intimidate another person.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment, 3 years supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
The FBI investigated Vardanyan for stalking a Sarasota couple: 69-year-old Grigori Komissarchuk and 64-year-old Galina Komissarchuk.
It started in September of 2006 at the couple's other home in Brooklyn, New York when Vardanyan acted as a deliveryman and tried to hit the husband.
The next day the man was hit in the head with a blunt object.
He was beaten, kicked and lost consciousness and any memory of how the attack ended. The victim received a ruptured pancreas and abdominal bleeding--no suspects in that beating.
When the couple returned to their home in Sarasota on December 9th of 2006, a man with a hammer began to beat Mrs. Komissarchuk after the couple arrived home from dinner.
The assailant kicked open the door to the home and also attacked Mr. Komissarchuk in the head with a hammer.
Both were treated at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Mr. Komissarchuk suffered a skull fracture among other things.
The suspect, Edmon Vardanyan, was identified by the couple as the suspect in a photo lineup.
Last April, the wife was attacked again in Brooklyn by a man that jumped out of a van. That van's license place was from Sarasota County. An occupant inside the van was identified by NYPD as Edmon Vardanyan, but was released.
Vardanyan later admitted to FBI detectives that he was hired to scare the couple because they owed money to some individuals and refused to pay the debt.
Vardanyan said he was paid $2,000 if the job was done right.
A hit to kill the couple was talked about with a price of $10,000 for each person.
The couple told detectives they fear for their lives and refuse to return to their Sarasota home. Both have trouble sleeping at night due to their anxiety and both suffer lingering effects from their injuries.
