Busted! Four arrested in California for using bear costume in insurance fraud scheme

Four people have landed in the police in Los Angeles after they were arrested on charges of attempting to defraud their insurance companies by claiming a bear had damaged their vehicles.

The California Department of Insurance identified the suspects as Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; Ruben Tamrazian, 26; all from Glendale, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, from Valley Village. Each faces charges of conspiracy and insurance fraud.

The Department of Insurance stated that the suspects filed claims on January 28, 2024, alleging a bear had damaged the interior of a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost during a trip to Lake Arrowhead. They provided video footage as evidence of the supposed incident.

After viewing the footage, investigators became suspicious, suspecting that the “bear” was actually a person in costume.

The case, named “Operation Bear Claw,” revealed that two other similar claims had been submitted for damages to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, each with video evidence depicting the same “bear.”

To confirm their suspicions, investigators sought assistance from a biologist at the California Department of Wildlife, who independently concluded that the footage showed “a human in a bear suit.”

Following a search warrant, authorities discovered a bear costume in one of the suspect’s homes. By the time of the arrests, insurance companies had reportedly paid out $141,839 for these claims. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case.