Bear Suit Insurance Scam Busted

Three Los Angeles County residents were sentenced after prosecutors said they used a bear suit to fake animal damage inside luxury cars and collect insurance money. (cbsnews.com) Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to 180 days in jail through a weekend jail program, plus two years of supervised probation. (cbsnews.com) California investigators said the claims centered on a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG, and a 2022 Mercedes E350, all supposedly damaged by a bear in the Lake Arrowhead area on January 28, 2024. Officials said the false claims cost insurers $141,839. (abc7.com) The case started when insurers received video that appeared to show a bear climbing into a car and clawing at the interior. State investigators reviewed the footage and opened a probe they called Operation Bear Claw. (cbsnews.com) Investigators then asked a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to examine the video. The biologist concluded it was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to the California Department of Insurance. (cbsnews.com) Detectives later served a search warrant at the suspects’ home and found the bear costume, according to state regulators. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said insurance fraud “drives up costs for consumers” and said the defendants were being held accountable. (cbsnews.com) A fourth defendant, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, was charged in 2024 when the case was announced, but CBS Los Angeles reported he has a separate court date scheduled for September 2026. Zuckerman and Tamrazian were also ordered to pay nearly $108,000 in restitution, while Muradkhanyan’s restitution amount had not yet been set. (abc7.com) (cbsnews.com) The videos were meant to make a bear look like the culprit. Instead, they became the evidence that unraveled the case. (cbsnews.com)