Las Vegas

Glendale Police Officer Arrested in Prostitution Sting to Receive $10K a Month From Settlement

The agreement settles a 2010 lawsuit against Glendale and the police department, was reached prior to recent arrest

A Glendale police officer who has battled the department over alleged discrimination and was also arrested last month in a prostitution sting is now set to receive more than $10,000 a month on paid leave in a settlement with the city.

In 2010, Sgt. Vahak Mardikian and four other police officers filed a lawsuit against the Glendale Police Department, City of Glendale and dozens of fellow officers, alleging that they experienced a pattern of discrimination because of their Armenian heritage.

In the resulting settlement, Mardikian, 49, will receive $10,579 per month in paid leave until his retirement at the end of 2015, at which time he will be eligible for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

On Aug. 8, Mardikian was arrested on one count of soliciting prostitution from an undercover detective in Las Vegas, according to an arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Detective Justine Gatus wrote in the report that while sitting at a bar at the Flamingo Casino, working undercover, she was approached by Mardikian, who engaged in conversation with her for nearly an hour, during which time he asked if she was a cop and denied being one himself.

After discussing her prices for various sexual acts including anal sex, the two departed with plans to meet in the parking lot, where Mardikian was arrested and booked.

The Times reported that Mardikian was demoted in early 2012 after the department received claims that he was pressuring other officers to join the 2010 lawsuit, but was reinstated last year.

The settlement agreement in response to the 2010 lawsuit was being prepared months before Mardikian’s arrest in Nevada, the Glendale News-Press reported.

Mardikian will still have to face a courtroom for his prostitution solicitation charge in Nevada.

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