LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three people in California have been sentenced for insurance fraud in a bizarre scam that involved someone dressed in a bear costume damaging luxury cars.
The California Insurance Department reported that the trio staged fake vehicle attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, subsequently filing fraudulent claims for nearly $142,000 in insurance payouts. Dubbed 'Operation Bear Claw', the scheme involved creating misleading videos showing a bear supposedly inside the damaged cars.
Two men from the Los Angeles area and a woman entered no contest pleas to felony insurance fraud, resulting in sentences that included a weekend jail program followed by probation. They were also ordered to pay over $50,000 in restitution. A fourth accomplice is scheduled for a court hearing in September.
Investigators uncovered evidence during a search that included the bear costume itself, and a biologist confirmed it was clearly a human in a bear suit, debunking their claims. The fraudulent claims also depicted scratches on luxury vehicle interiors purportedly caused by the bear.
This unconventional case comes at a time when bear encounters are on the rise in California, with reports of bears breaking into homes and vehicles in search of food across regions from Lake Tahoe to Los Angeles.
The California Insurance Department reported that the trio staged fake vehicle attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, subsequently filing fraudulent claims for nearly $142,000 in insurance payouts. Dubbed 'Operation Bear Claw', the scheme involved creating misleading videos showing a bear supposedly inside the damaged cars.
Two men from the Los Angeles area and a woman entered no contest pleas to felony insurance fraud, resulting in sentences that included a weekend jail program followed by probation. They were also ordered to pay over $50,000 in restitution. A fourth accomplice is scheduled for a court hearing in September.
Investigators uncovered evidence during a search that included the bear costume itself, and a biologist confirmed it was clearly a human in a bear suit, debunking their claims. The fraudulent claims also depicted scratches on luxury vehicle interiors purportedly caused by the bear.
This unconventional case comes at a time when bear encounters are on the rise in California, with reports of bears breaking into homes and vehicles in search of food across regions from Lake Tahoe to Los Angeles.
