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(Courtesy: California Department of Insurance)

LOS ANGELES – California Department of Insurance officials say a bear attack in the state was actually an insurance scheme.

In a statement released Nov. 13, agency officials say four people from the Los Angeles area have been arrested in connection with the alleged scheme. They were identified as:

• Ararat Shirkinian, 39 years old
• Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32 years old
• Ruben Tamrazian, 26 years old
• Alfiya Zuckerman, 39 years old

Department of Insurance officials said the suspects claimed on Jan. 28 that a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in the Lake Arrowhead area and caused interior damage to the vehicle.

“They provided video footage to their insurance company, which showed the alleged bear in the vehicle,” the statement read. “The department’s investigation began after an insurance company suspected fraud.”

Investigators say they later determined the bear was actually a person dressed as a bear.

“Detectives found two additional insurance claims from two different insurance companies, for the suspects with the same date of loss and at the same location,” the release read. “Each of these allegations involved two different vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, and the suspects again appeared to use a bear costume to make it appear that a bear had also entered and damaged these vehicles. They provided the video footage to other insurance companies as well to support their claims.”

According to Kelly’s Blue BookThe typical listing price for a used 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is around $82,000. A fair purchase price was not available because some vehicles have too few sales to establish such a price.

According to the release, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife also reviewed the video of the bear, and the biologist “also felt that it was clearly a human dressed in a bear costume. ‘bear”.

When investigators conducted a search warrant at the suspects’ home, they discovered a bear costume.

“Insurance companies were defrauded of $141,839 as a result of the alleged fraud committed by the suspects,” the statement read.

All four suspects are charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.