The CEO and founder of the company that made Beanie Babies was the victim of a suspicious robbery that occurred at his California home.
According to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, a call appeared on Santa Barbara County deputies about a possible vehicle theft or home burglary on May 21st.
Upon arriving at the scene, a block in the 1000 block of Fairway Road, Montecito, was a woman seriously injured from the attack, found outside the residence. She is taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance and remains in coma.
The criminal charges filed May 23 identified her as Linda Marek Aslanian, 60 years old. Media reports show that she is a financial services expert who worked in the hotel division of Ty Warner, CEO and sole owner of Ty Inc., a stuffing company known for the famous Beanie Baby.
Beanie Babies founder Ty Warner will be escorted from Dirksen US Court in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 (Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service
It has a net worth of $6 billion, and Warner also owns a portfolio of luxury properties, including New York’s Four Seasons. In 2014, he was sentenced to tax evasion probation for failing to report income of more than $24.4 million, avoiding nearly $5.6 million in taxes.
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Warner, 80, said police had not provided the information, but the complaint stated he was at home at the time of the incident.
“Deputies learned that the male suspect was still inside the residence, but it was unclear whether all residents had escaped safely,” a Santa Barbara lawmaker said on the day of the incident. “Additional lawmakers have established boundaries around the residences, along with allied agencies, including the CHP and the Santa Barbara Police Department. Santa Barbara County Air Support has also responded to the area to support overhead observations.”
Deputies for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will respond to a suspected robbery in the 1000 block of Fairway Road, Montecito on May 21, 2025 (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office).
“The lawmakers tried to determine whether hostages could be held, but the Sheriff’s Office special enforcement team and crisis negotiation team responded to a bearcat armored rescue vehicle,” SBSD elaborated.
It was later determined that all residents fled the home and the suspect (identified by authorities as Russell Maxwell Faye) had barricaded in the bathroom upstairs. Fey, a Nevada resident, attempted to escape by climbing through a two-storey window, but after jumping onto the ground, he was arrested.
The 42-year-old was reserved for one misdemeanor (obstruction) and several felony including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, a battery with a serious injury and a trick. The victim and suspect are believed to be unknown to each other.
The SFGATE column on the Special Court for Veterans, published in 2014, featured Phay, who said he was in the Army and trained as an infantry combat soldier. However, as he had hoped he would be deployed to Kuwait, his tour ended and he was out of the army.
“I’m fully trained for combat,” he told the outlet. “I’m trained to eliminate you. It sounds crazy, but that’s true.”
Russell Maxwell Faye is shown in undated photographs provided by Keat.
The SFGATE column states that Faye had “a big problem” when he left the Army, and finds himself on the wrong side of the law after he threatened her by chasing his wife to Colorado. After his stint in prison, he went to San Francisco at Veterans Court.
“They realize I’m able to rescue,” he said at the time.
According to a report by Siskiyou Daily News, Phay was listed as a resident of San Francisco – said he was arrested on December 6, 2014 and charged with assault and battery. In that case, no record was immediately found indicating whether Phay was convicted.
According to inmate search records, Phay is being held at Southern Branch Prison in connection with the May 21 incident. He is being held without bail.
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