One of the six men charged in connection with a luxury-car racing incident during an elite car rally last month in Grand Teton National Park is a social media influencer who posts videos of himself having adventures in high-end cars, Cowboy State Daily has confirmed.
Edmond Barseghian, whose court file shows addresses in both Las Vegas, Nevada, and Glendale, California, faces four misdemeanors in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming, including violating closures, reckless driving, careless driving and eluding police.
The booking photo taken of Barseghian during his brief stay in Teton County Detention Center matches the YouTube persona “Mondi,” an exotic car adventurer.
In one video, Mondi speeds a modified Porsche 993 GT2 through a canyon.
“This is the only car that’s ever frightened me,” he says of the little red sports car. “You guys are about to experience what 600 wheel horsepower does.”
He lists three other Porsches he owns, and says he’s going to pit them against each other at the track.
In another video, he bemoans the neutral stock color of a Carrera GT and said he plans to give it a $250,000 “makeover” to make it “pop.” The result is a stealthy chromed green.
And in a third video, Mondi goes to the Sakhir, Bahrain, International Circuit to “rookie-test” racecars with a Lamborghini crew.
Reached by phone Friday, Barseghian declined to comment to Cowboy State Daily.
And These
Barseghian is charged along with five other men, most of whom are scheduled to appear in a Jackson courthouse July 29.
Those are Emmanuel A Elkhoury, Drake C Okonski, Elijah Y Chen, Zane Goodwin and Jarrod Pellizzer.
Of those, four were arrested: Barseghian, Chen, Goodwin and Okonski, according to Grand Teton National Park spokeswoman Emily Davis, who also confirmed the men’s involvement to Cowboy State Daily.
Of those four, Barseghian and Goodwin were each driving prior to their arrests, she said in a Friday email.
Davis identified one of the cars as a Porsche, but did not say what the other makes or models were.
One of the cars reached a speed of 111 mph in the park. All of them had “Nu Rally” labels, said the spokeswoman.
Nu Rally is a luxury car rally for supercar and hypercar owners “who demand more than a road trip,” says the rally’s website. “We blend the thrill of spirited driving with curated experiences, high-end hospitality, and an elite community of car enthusiasts.”
The Wyoming park bust coincided with the rally’s June “OutRun” tour, which started in Bellevue, Washington, proceeded through scenic destinations in Idaho and Montana before reaching Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The cars then went on to Park City and Moab, Utah, then Las Vegas, according to an April snapshot of the rally’s website, captured by Waybackmachine.com.
That seven-day tour cost $13,995, says the webpage snapshot.
Rangers Converged
Grand Teton National Park rangers responded to reports around 5 p.m. June 24 of high-end luxury cars “drag racing on both lanes of Teton Park Road and creating a variety of hazardous driving conditions for other visitors,” says a June 25 press release from park authorities.
Rangers found the group and initiated traffic stops. Twelve rangers were involved in the operation, and two vehicles were impounded, the statement says.
Some of the defendants are charged with trespassing. This pertains to alleged trespassing in a closed residential area of the park, said Davis.
“I'd like to add that speeding in Grand Teton National Park is not only illegal, it is inappropriate and dangerous,” wrote Davis in her Friday email. “This behavior puts visitors, employees, wildlife and park resources at serious risk.
“Grand Teton is a place where people come to connect with nature and seek inspiration. Driving the speed limit is a basic and essential part of recreating responsibly, protecting this special place, and ensuring that everyone can experience it safely.”
The Tally
Elkhoury faces one count of operating a vehicle without due care.
Okonski faces five misdemeanors of violating closures, tampering with property, interfering with government employees, trespassing and drug possession. Neither Elkhoury or Okonski could be reached for comment by publication time.
Chen faces five misdemeanors of drug possession, tampering with property, interfering with government employees, trespassing and violating closures.
Goodwin faces three misdemeanors of improper license plate display, fleeing police and reckless driving.
Chen and Goodwin did not respond to text message requests for comment by publication time.
Pellizzer faces four misdemeanors of driving without care, driving without a valid license, failure to display license plates properly and reckless driving.
His attorney Philip E Abromats declined Friday to comment on his client’s case.
Pellizzer’s court appearance has been rescheduled for Aug. 5, his court file says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
