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A scam involving a person in a bear costume causing damage to luxury cars in California has resulted in three people facing sentencing for insurance fraud.
In 2024, three people — Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32 — staged bear attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes vehicles, according to the California Insurance Department. The people then filed fraudulent insurance claims seeking $142,000 to cover the damages, claiming the animal had damaged their vehicles.
A fourth individual, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, was allegedly involved in the scheme and will go to court in September, according to ABC News.
The CID dubbed its investigation “Operation Bear Claw.”
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
The group apparently hoped to convince insurance companies that an actual bear had gotten into the vehicles and caused the damage, the department said. They submitted videos of the attacks in which the vehicles are parked in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Photos taken from the submitted claims show scratches on the cars’ seats and doors.
The footage was reviewed by a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They concluded that the footage was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to the CID.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the trio’s homes and discovered a bear costume at one of the residences, according to the CID. All four were initially arrested in 2024, according to a press release from the department.
Zuckerman, Tamrazian and Muradkhanyan all pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were each sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Zuckerman was ordered to pay $55,360 in restitution, and Tamrazian was ordered to pay $52,268. A ruling on Muradkhanyan’s restitution is still being determined.
There are documented instances of bears breaking into homes and cars looking for food, and bear incursions into populated areas have become a growing problem in California.
