Trio sentenced over ‘bear costume’ insurance fraud scam in California – National
Following a California Department of Insurance investigation, dubbed “Operation Bear Claw,” three Los Angeles area residents pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to a weekend jail program, followed by probation, the department said in a news release. Two of them were ordered to pay more than US$50,000 in restitution.
A fourth person faces a court hearing in September.
The California Department of Insurance said the defendants used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks on high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024. After the fake attacks, the defendants submitted fraudulent claims seeking payouts from insurance companies.
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “My Department’s investigators uncovered the facts, exposed this scam, and helped bring these defendants to justice. Insurance fraud is a serious crime that drives up costs for consumers, and no scheme is too outrageous for us to investigate.”
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Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village and Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, both of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to 180 days in jail — to be served through a weekend jail program — and two years of supervised probation. Zuckerman was ordered to pay $55,360 in restitution and Tamrazian was ordered to pay $52,260, while Muradkhanyan’s restitution is still to be determined.
Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, is scheduled to return to court in September for a preliminary hearing.
“The investigation began after an insurance company flagged a suspicious claim tied to a January 28, 2024, incident in Lake Arrowhead. The suspects claimed a bear entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused interior damage, submitting video footage to support the claim,” the news release said.
Photos provided by the insurance department show what appeared to be “scratches” on the seats and doors.
A screen grab from video provided by the California Department of Insurance shows what appeared to be marks on the interior of one of the luxury vehicles.
California Department of Insurance
Upon further review, the department detectives determined that the “bear” in the video was a person wearing a bear costume.
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This photo, provided by the California Department of Insurance, shows a bear costume allegedly worn by suspects trying to commit insurance fraud.
California Department of Insurance via AP, File
Investigators uncovered two additional fraudulent claims submitted to separate insurance companies involving the same date and location, tied to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage to further verify the deception and concluded that the animal shown “was clearly a human in a bear suit.”
Detectives executed a search warrant and recovered the costume from the suspect’s home, the department added.
The total loss to the insurance companies was US$141,839.
Bears are known to be a bit of a nuisance in California, as humans encroach into their territory across the state. They are frequently seen going for swims in backyard pools and hot tubs and have been known to break into refrigerators and freezers.
— With files from Global News and The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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