Four people accused of using bear suit to damage cars in sophisticated insurance fraud

Four Los Angeles residents were arrested after they say a bear got into their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost.

California Department of Insurance/flickr Bear suit allegedly used to damage car — CA Department of Insurance/flickr

The bear suit was allegedly used to damage the car

Four Los Angeles residents are accused of using a bear suit to defraud insurance companies.

On Wednesday, November 13th, the California Department of Insurance announced in a release that Glendale residents Ruben Tamrazyan, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanian, 32, and Alfia Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, were charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.

This comes after “the suspects reported that a bear entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused damage to the interior of the vehicle on January 28, 2024 in Lake Arrowhead,” the report said.

Officials added that the suspects also provided their insurance company video recording possible bear attack.

The video shows how the “bear” moves inside the car between the front and back seats of the luxury car.

Want to keep up with the latest crime news? Subscribe to Free PEOPLE True Crime Newsletter for breaking crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

California Department of Insurance/Vimeo Video of suspected bear in car — California Department of Insurance/Vimeo

Footage allegedly of a bear in a car

Images of scratches on the car’s doors and seats were then discovered.

“Upon further review of the video, the investigation determined that the bear was in fact a person in a bear costume,” officials said in a release.

“Detectives discovered two additional insurance claims with two different insurance companies for the suspects with the same date of loss and same location,” the release added.

“Each of these claims involved two different vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, and the suspects again used a bear costume to make it appear that the bear had also entered and damaged those vehicles,” the statement continued. statement

The PEOPLE Puzzler Crossword is here! How fast can you solve it? Play now!

California Department of Insurance/vimeo Damage to vehicle after bear gets inside car — CA Department of Insurance/vimeo

Damage to a vehicle after a bear got inside the car

The footage was also provided to other insurance companies. However, after a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the image, they concluded that it was a person dressed as a bear.

The bear costume was later found at the suspect’s home after a search warrant was served.

“Insurance companies were defrauded of $141,839 due to the alleged fraud committed by the suspects,” the release said. “Detectives from the department were assisted by the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is investigating this case.”