Car owners claimed a bear trashed their Rolls-Royce. Insurers say it was fraud involving a person in a bear suit.

• Car owners in California said a bear caused interior damage to their luxury vehicles.
• The California Department of Insurance said the “bear” was actually a person in a costume.
• They accused them of defrauding insurance companies out of more than $140,000.

Four Californians said a bear damaged their luxury car, but insurers have accused them of insurance fraud involving someone dressed in a bear costume.

The California Department of Insurance said in a press release Wednesday that four Los Angeles-area residents — Ruben Tamrazian, Ararat Chirkinian, Vahe Muradkhanyan, and Alfiya Zuckerman — had been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.

The department said the suspects claimed in January that a bear had entered and damaged their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a vehicle that typically sells for about $100,000 used, while it was parked in Lake Arrowhead, California…

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