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Three Los Angeles-area residents were recently convicted in an unusual insurance fraud scheme using a person in a bear costume to fake attacks on high-end vehicles to collect insurance payouts.
As part of the California Department of Insurance’s “Operation Bear Claw,” Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village; Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay restitution.
A fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, is scheduled to return to court in September for a preliminary hearing.
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The investigation began after an insurance company flagged a suspicious claim tied to a Jan. 28, 2024, incident in Lake Arrowhead.
The suspects claimed a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and caused interior damage, submitting video footage as evidence.
Detectives later determined the “bear” in the video was a person wearing a bear costume, and uncovered two additional fraudulent claims submitted to separate insurance companies involving the same date and location, but tied to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
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A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the video and concluded the animal shown was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” according to authorities.
Detectives executed a search warrant and recovered the costume from the suspects’ home.
Officials said the total loss to the insurance companies was $141,839, though the names of the businesses were not released.
“What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that — and now those responsible are being held accountable,” Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara wrote in a statement Thursday. “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,” Lara added.
