Overview
- Three defendants — Alfiya Zuckerman, Ruben Tamrazian, and Vahe Muradkhanyan — pleaded guilty in California and received 180 days in jail plus supervised probation, while a fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, still faces court.
- The group faked bear attacks by using a full-body costume, staging surveillance video, and claiming a wild animal tore up their own high-end cars.
- Two insurers paid a total of $141,839 on claims tied to a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a Mercedes G63 AMG, and a Mercedes E350.
- An insurance adjuster and a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist determined the video showed a person in a suit, and the insurer rejected a third near-identical claim.
- A November 2024 home search recovered a full bear costume and meat grinders that investigators say were used to mark vehicle interiors.