California wildlife expert blew the lid off a bear suit luxury car insurance fraud scheme

Three Los Angeles-area residents were convicted for using a bear suit to stage attacks on luxury cars to rake in insurance payouts.

The California Department of Insurance said Thursday that Alfiya Zuckerman of Valley Village, Calif., Ruben Tamrazian of Glendale and Vahe Muradkhanyan, also of Glendale, all pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud.

All three were sentenced to 180 days in jail to be served through a weekend jail program and two years of supervised probation afterward, state insurance officials said.

The three were first arrested with fourth suspect Ararat Chirkinian in November 2024, after filing insurance claims for supposed bear attacks on a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost sedan, a 2015 Mercedes-AMG G63 SUV and a Mercedes E350 sedan.

The four suspects filed an insurance claim that contended a bear had entered and damaged a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead, nearly 80 miles east of Los Angeles, on Jan. 28, 2024. The suspects submitted a video of the attack, but the unspecified insurance company suspected fraud.

The Department of Insurance detectives found two additional claims made to two other insurance companies for bear attacks at the same Lake Arrowhead location on the same date. 

One involved a 2015 Mercedes-AMG G63 and the other a 2022 Mercedes E350, and videos of the purported bear attacks on both cars were submitted as well, officials said. In total, the three insurance companies paid out $141,839.

The California Department of Insurance called in an expert from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who told them the attacks were carried out by someone wearing a bear suit. The bear suit used in the incidents was found at a residence of one of the suspects. 

California officials have not said which of the four suspects is thought to have worn the bear suit for the scheme.

The California Department of Insurance said Zuckerman owes $55,360 in restitution, while Tamrazian owes $52,268. The restitution amount that Muradkhanyan owes has not been determined.

Mr. Chirkinian, of Glendale, was not convicted with the other defendants. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing in September, state insurance officials said.