Four individuals from the Los Angeles area, United States, were arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent insurance claims, claiming that a bear had caused damage to the interiors of three luxury vehicles.
The suspects, identified as Ruben Tamrazian (26), Ararat Chirkinian (39), Vahe Muradkhanyan (32), and Alfiya Zuckerman (39), have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy after receiving a total of $141,839 (£111,619) in insurance payouts.
The investigation began after insurers received video footage intended to serve as evidence. The clip appeared to show a bear entering the front seat of a Rolls-Royce Ghost, clawing its way through the interior and moving toward the back.
However, the video raised red flags for investigators with the California Department of Insurance, who, after executing a search warrant, discovered a bear costume at the suspects’ residence.
“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” said the department in an official release.
The case, dubbed “Operation Bear Claw” by investigators, centered on three separate insurance claims made by the suspects.
The first claim, filed in January, alleged that a bear had entered a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, valued at around $100,000, and caused significant interior damage.
Footage taken at night shows the purported bear rummaging through the vehicle’s interior for 30 to 45 seconds before falling out of the passenger door.
Photos of the damages revealed claw marks on the leather seats and on the leather trim of one of the doors.
Two additional claims were later submitted to different insurance companies, each featuring the same date of loss, identical address, and the same reported bear damage.
These claims involved a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E35.
To confirm that the footage depicted a human in a bear suit rather than an actual bear, the California Department of Insurance sought the expertise of a biologist from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The biologist determined that it was “clearly a human in a bear suit.”
The investigation, which involved the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, has led to the prosecution of the suspects by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
The charges against the four individuals highlight the lengths some will go to defraud insurance companies, and “Operation Bear Claw” marks another successful bust in the fight against insurance fraud.
