Zarian’s Son Charged With Theft of $3,500

A 21-year-old son of Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian has been charged with one misdemeanor count of grand theft for allegedly embezzling as much as $3,500 from Nordstrom department store in Glendale.

The charge against Gregory William Zarian, one of the mayor’s twin sons, was filed Monday in Glendale Superior Court. If convicted, he faces up to a year in County Jail and a $5,000 fine, said John P. Bernardi, deputy district attorney in charge of the case.

Zarian, a salesman at Nordstrom since last April, was arrested Feb. 27 after store security personnel reportedly saw him take $80 from a cash register, a police report said.

Nordstrom security agents told police that they saw Zarian ring up false sales transactions and then take money from the cash register on several other occasions during a February surveillance of the men’s clothing department where he worked.

Bernardi said he decided not to file a felony charge against Zarian because of his age, his lack of a previous criminal record and because the amount of money involved was “not excessive.”

The money “was taken in small increments over an approximate eight-month period of time,” Bernardi said. “The thefts were relatively unsophisticated . . . and we felt it would be appropriate to treat it as a misdemeanor.”

If Zarian had been charged with felony grand theft he would have faced up to three years in state prison, Bernardi said.

Evidence includes four fake sales and refund slips and eight videotapes of alleged previous thefts at the store, authorities said.

Zarian, a Glendale resident, will be arraigned in Glendale Municipal Court March 26. He was released on his own recognizance after his arrest.

Mayor Zarian said he is confident that the incident involving his son will not harm his campaign for reelection April 7.