A California trucker working for a Kansas freight brokerage pleaded guilty Monday to stealing a load of meat valued at more than $160,000, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Gegham Avetisyan, 37, Valley Village, California, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Avetisyan contracted with a trucking freight brokerage business in Olathe, Kansas, to deliver a load of meat to three locations in California. He faxed documents to the company in which he used the name Robert Ivanov. He picked up the meat at a packing plant in Omaha, but never delivered it.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 12. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. McAllister commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.