Three Southern California residents have been sentenced for their roles in an unusual fraud scheme in which they donned a bear suit and damaged luxury cars in the resort town of Lake Arrowhead in order to collect insurance payouts, officials said.
The three defendants each pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to 180 days in custody, to be served through a weekend jail program, the California Department of Insurance announced on Thursday, April 16. Legal proceedings remained pending for a fourth defendant.
The agency investigated the bizarre crime under what it dubbed “Operation Bear Claw.”
‘Clearly a human in a bear suit’
In support of their bogus insurance claims, the group provided video footage of the purported wildlife rampage on Jan. 28, 2024, authorities said. They collected $141,839 from insurance companies for damage to a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG, and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
Investigators were skeptical upon reviewing the video and sought a second opinion from a California Department of Fish and Game biologist.
The conclusion: ” The animal shown was clearly a human in a bear suit. Detectives later executed a search warrant and recovered the costume from the suspects’ home,” according to a Department of Insurance statement. “Detectives later executed a search warrant and recovered the costume from the suspects’ home.”
The four suspects were arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
‘No scheme is too outrageous for us to investigate’
In addition to the jail time, the three defendants convicted this week will also be required to pay restitution to the insurance companies they defrauded, officials said.
Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, was ordered to pay $55,360, while Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, was ordered to pay $52,268, and a restitution amount for Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, was yet to be determined.
The fourth and final defendant, 39-year-old Ararat Chirkinian of Glendale, was scheduled to appear in court in September for a preliminary hearing.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara noted the oddity of the case, but added that the damage caused by it was no laughing matter.
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,’ he said. “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.”
The Department of Insurance was assisted in the investigation by the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. The case was prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Three sentenced for bizarre bear suit insurance scam at Lake Arrowhead
Reporting by Brian Day, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
