Bear Suit Scam Nets Trio Arrests

Three Los Angeles County residents were sentenced after California investigators said they used a bear costume to fake animal damage inside luxury cars and collect insurance money. (cbsnews.com) Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, each pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to 180 days in jail through a weekend program plus two years of supervised probation. (cbsnews.com) California’s Department of Insurance said the claims centered on a Jan. 28, 2024 incident in Lake Arrowhead and eventually expanded to three vehicles: a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG, and a 2022 Mercedes E350. Insurers’ total loss was $141,839. (repairerdrivennews.com) Investigators opened “Operation Bear Claw” after one insurance company flagged video that was supposed to show a bear inside a Rolls-Royce. The same date and location later appeared in two more claims filed with separate insurers. (repairerdrivennews.com) A biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage and told investigators the animal was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to state insurance regulators. NBC Los Angeles reported the expert also found no bear saliva, urine, or hair, and said the scratches did not match a real bear’s claws. (patch.com) (nbclosangeles.com) Detectives later served a search warrant at the suspects’ home and recovered the costume that prosecutors say was used in the videos. Patch reported the suit had added claws that investigators described as “meat shredding.” (repairerdrivennews.com) (patch.com) Zuckerman was ordered to pay $55,360 in restitution, and Tamrazian was ordered to pay $52,268, according to the California Department of Insurance. CBS Los Angeles reported the court has not yet set Muradkhanyan’s restitution amount. (repairerdrivennews.com) (cbsnews.com) A fourth defendant, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, has a court date scheduled for September 2026, according to CBS Los Angeles and Global News. The case was investigated by the California Department of Insurance and prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. (cbsnews.com) (globalnews.ca) The case began with a claim that a bear had wrecked a Rolls-Royce in a mountain resort town. It ended with jail time, probation, and a costume pulled from a home search. (repairerdrivennews.com)