Three California men have been sentenced after attempting to defraud insurance companies with a scheme that involved a person dressed in a bear costume damaging luxury vehicles.
In a case that authorities dubbed "Operation Bear Claw," the defendants submitted claims for damage to high-end cars that they claimed had been attacked by a bear in Lake Arrowhead on January 28, 2024. The evidence included viral video footage that appeared to show a bear inside a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, with similar claims filed for two Mercedes models on the same date and location.
However, biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife examined the footage and determined it showed a human wearing a bear costume rather than an actual animal. The state insurance department executed a search warrant and discovered a bear outfit in the suspects' residence.
Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, each pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud charges. On Thursday, they were sentenced to 180 days in jail followed by two years of supervised probation for their roles in the scam, which involved $141,839 in fraudulent insurance payments.
"What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that - and now those responsible are being held accountable," said state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara.
The case highlights the lengths to which some individuals will go to commit insurance fraud, with authorities emphasizing that even the most unusual schemes will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.