Authored by Dylan Morgan via The Epoch Times,
Three Los Angeles County residents were charged on April 16 with insurance fraud involving a bear suit and luxury vehicles.
A fourth awaits trial.
The California Department of Insurance said the defendants used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks on their luxury vehicles, then submitted fraudulent claims for payouts to insurance companies that totaled around $142,000.
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that—and now those responsible are being held accountable,” Insurance Department Commissioner Ricardo Lara said.
“My Department’s investigators uncovered the facts, exposed this scam, and helped bring these defendants to justice. Insurance fraud is a serious crime that drives up costs for consumers, and no scheme is too outrageous for us to investigate.”
The department said the investigation began when an insurance company flagged a suspicious claim where the defendants said a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead, California, on Jan. 28, 2024, and caused interior damage.
Alongside the claim, the defendants submitted security camera footage that showed a “bear” rummaging through the car’s interior and included photos of scratch marks on car doors and seats.
Department detectives determined the “bear” was a person wearing a bear costume.
Investigators later discovered two more fraudulent claims submitted to separate insurance companies with the same date and location, but tied to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
These claims also included similar “bear attack” videos from security cameras shot in the same driveway of a “bear” going through the two Mercedes vehicles, and were also accompanied by photos of interior scratches.
The Department of Insurance said to further verify, it had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the video, who said the “bear” in the footage was clearly a human in a bear suit.
Detectives later executed a search warrant in the suspects’ home and found a bear suit.
The four Los Angeles County residents involved were arrested on Nov. 13, 2024, and charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.
All three convicted defendants were sentenced to 180 days in jail to be served through a weekend jail program.
Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, was ordered to pay around $55,000 in restitution. Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, was ordered to pay around $52,000. Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, has yet to have his restitution set.
The fourth defendant, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, will have a preliminary hearing in court in September.