Highlights
- Armani Ryan Purandah, 27, of Los Angeles received a 70-month federal prison sentence for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
- Purandah and co-conspirators used stolen personal information and fake IDs to open fraudulent business accounts linked to victims' real accounts.
- A federal court ordered Purandah to pay $1,188,008 in restitution to victims across multiple states, including Arizona.
- The scheme funneled stolen cash through bank withdrawals and tribal casinos before delivery to Purandah or other overseers.
A federal court in Arizona sentenced Armani Ryan Purandah, 27, of Los Angeles to 70 months in prison for leading a bank fraud and identity theft ring that drained victims' accounts across multiple states, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced Tuesday.
Purandah was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered him to pay $1,188,008 in restitution to victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors said Purandah and his co-conspirators used victims' personal information and fake IDs to open fraudulent business bank accounts, which were then linked to the victims' real bank accounts. Once connected, members of the scheme transferred money from the legitimate accounts into the fraudulent ones, then withdrew the stolen funds in cash at banks and tribal casinos. The cash was then delivered to Purandah or others who helped oversee the operation, according to prosecutors.
Who else was charged in this ring?
A federal grand jury indicted Purandah in February 2024 alongside five co-defendants, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. Co-defendants named in that indictment included Rashawn L. Gray, Tyshaun D. Ripley, Awilda Reyes, Richard M. Bah, and a sixth individual. Purandah was 24 at the time of the indictment.
KVOA, which separately confirmed the sentence, reported that Purandah's 70-month term is to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Sentencing is complete; Purandah's restitution payments to victims begin under the terms of the court's order.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 27/05/2026 15:36
- justice.gov retrieved 27/05/2026 15:36
- kvoa.com retrieved 27/05/2026 15:36
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 27/05/2026 15:36. Every claim traces to a source.
