An insurance fraud scheme involving a bear costume, luxury vehicles and falsified damage claims has ended in convictions for three Los Angeles area residents.
A California Department of Insurance investigation began after an insurance company suspected fraud after insureds claimed on Jan. 28, 2025, a bear entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused interior damage to the vehicle in Lake Arrowhead.
They provided video footage to their insurer showing the alleged bear in the vehicle.
The CDI investigation discovered the defendants used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks on high-end vehicles, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking payouts from insurance companies.
Investigators later uncovered two additional claims submitted to separate insurers involving the same date and location tied to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
The CDI had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the three alleged bear videos and the expert verified it was a human in a bear suit.
After executing a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume in the suspects’ home.
The insurance companies were reportedly defrauded of $141,839.
Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $55,360 in restitution.
Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $52,268 in restitution.
Related: Suspects Arrested After Videos Show Fake Bear Attacks in California for Insurance
Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years of supervised probation with restitution to be determined.
Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, is scheduled to return to court in September for a preliminary hearing.
Top photo: Bear suit used in luxury auto insurance fraud case. Photo from the California Department of Insurance.
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