Group accused of staging fake bear attack by having their friend wear furry costume

Fake bear attacks linked to insurance fraud

Four people were arrested for alleged insurance fraud after they said a bear had damaged their cars. Investigators discovered the "bear" was just a man in a bear suit. (Credit: California Department of Insurance)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Four Los Angeles-area residents were arrested Wednesday for allegedly submitting bogus insurance claims contending that three high-end vehicles were damaged by a bear, which investigators say turned out to be a person wearing a bear suit.

According to the state agency, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, are all facing charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy.

Jail records show Tamrazian, Chirkinian and Muradkhanyan were all arrested Wednesday. Tamrazian was being held in lieu of $85,000 bail, while bail was set at $30,000 for Chirkinian and Muradkhanyan. No jail records were immediately available for Zuckerman.

The suspects allegedly claimed to an insurance company that in January, a bear climbed inside their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead and damaged the interior, and they provided video footage to the insurer to support the claim, according to the DOI.

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"Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume," the agency stated.

Investigators then determined the same suspects had submitted similar insurance claims of damage to two other vehicles at the same location on the same date -- a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350 -- and they also provided video in those claims.

"To further ensure it was not actually a bear in the video, the department had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the three alleged bear videos and they also opined it was clearly a human in a bear suit," according to the Department of Insurance. "After executing a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume in the suspects' home."

The alleged fraud led to a loss of $141,839 by the insurance companies, according to the DOI.

The case is being prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.