In a desperate attempt to get their hands on cash, a group of friends in California dressed up as bears and hatched a plot to trick their insurance companies.
One of the friends dressed up as a bear, damaged the others' luxury cars so they could allegedly cash in on hefty insurance money.
According to the Department of Insurance (DOI), 26-year-old Ruben Tamrazian, 39-year-old Ararat Chirkinian, 32-year-old Vahe Muradkhanyan and 39-year-old Alfiya Zuckerman have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy after their bear video came into light.
An investigation into a suspicious insurance claim filed by four Los Angeles-area residents revealed a scheme where someone wore a bear costume and scratched up the inside of three cars, officials said.
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 14, 2024
Get the details at https://t.co/lcXKmWJnJM pic.twitter.com/k74BJu4s8R
A 2010 Roll Royce Ghost's interior was damaged in the so-called bear attack. The CCTV visuals of the alleged bear attack revealed the ‘furred’ animal entering the vehicle and causing the damage.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said the DOI began an investigation into the alleged bear attack after the insurance company suspected fraud.
A close observation of the video footage revealed that it was a person in a bear costume.
According to Lara, the investigation revealed that the detective found two additional insurance claims with two different insurance companies for the suspects with the same date of loss and at the same location.
A 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350 were the two vehicles involved in the claim.
During the investigation, DOI hired a biologist to confirm that no real bear was present during the incident. Later it was confirmed that it was "clearly a human in a bear suit."
After acquiring a search warrant, the detectives found the bear costume at the suspect's house.
"The insurance companies were defrauded of $141,839, because of the alleged fraud committed by the suspects. Department detectives were assisted by the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case," said Lara.
