Three California men have been sentenced for an insurance scam using someone in a bear costume to stage fake attacks on luxury cars. Viral video handed to insurers as evidence seemed to show a bear in a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead on 28 January 2024. Similar claims were filed on the same date and location for two high-end Mercedes models. But biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage and determined it showed a human in a bear suit. The state insurance department launched Operation Bear Claw, executing a search warrant and finding a bear outfit in the suspects' home. The fraud involved $141,839 (£105,000) in insurance payments. Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced on Thursday to 180 days in jail, plus two years of supervised probation. What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that - and now those responsible are being held accountable, state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara said.
Bear Costume Insurance Scam Nets Three Sentenced in California
Bear Costume Insurance Scam Nets Three Sentenced in California
Three individuals are sentenced for staging a fake bear attack on luxury cars in California, leading to a significant insurance fraud scheme.
Three California men, Alfiya Zuckerman, Ruben Tamrazian, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, have been sentenced to 180 days in jail and two years of supervised probation for orchestrating an insurance scam involving a bear costume. Dubbed 'Operation Bear Claw', authorities uncovered their fraudulent activities, which attempted to claim $141,839 in insurance payments by staging fake bear attacks on high-end vehicles. Footage initially thought to depict a bear revealed a person in a costume, leading to their arrest.
