By Lookout Staff
October 15, 2009 -- The Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office filed charges Wednesday against a defunct furniture company with a store in Santa Monica that had failed to deliver expensive couches to paying customers.
The five-count complaint was filed against the former owners and managers of Cozi Couch, which had a store at 7th Street and Wilshire Boulevard that went out of business in March.
The four defendants in the case -- Arman Hazarian, the owner of the business, and his three managers, Cory Iturribarria, Nelson Freytes, and Jaime Seoane -- were arraigned at the LAX criminal courthouse.
The misdemeanor complaint charges the defendants with grand theft, false advertising, and doing business without a City business license.
The City Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit (CPU), along with the state Bureau of Home Furnishings and the Santa Monica Police Department, had been investigating the company and its owners.
Several dozen former customers have filed complaints with the City. Many claimed in Small Claims Court cases that they paid thousands of dollars for custom furniture items that were never delivered.
