Trio Jailed for Elaborate 'Bear Attack' Insurance Fraud

A California court has handed down sentences to three men embroiled in an elaborate insurance fraud scheme that utilised an individual in a bear costume to stage damage to high-end cars. The audacious plot, which saw fraudulent claims totalling USD#141,839, involved submitting fabricated video evidence to insurers.

The deception centred on footage purportedly showing a bear damaging a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead on 28 January 2024. Similar claims, citing the same date and location, were lodged for two Mercedes models. However, the purported animal attacks quickly unravelled when biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife scrutinised the viral video, concluding it depicted a human in a bear suit rather than an actual wild animal.

This expert analysis prompted a state insurance department investigation, dubbed “Operation Bear Claw”. A subsequent search warrant executed at the suspects' residence uncovered the incriminating bear costume. Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, all pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud. They have each been sentenced to 180 days in jail, followed by two years of supervised probation.

Ricardo Lara, the state insurance commissioner, commented on the outcome, stating, “What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that - and now those responsible are being held accountable.”