Four Arrested in ‘Bear Suit’ Insurance Fraud Case

Four individuals have been taken into custody following allegations of submitting fraudulent insurance claims, asserting that a bear caused damage to the interiors of three luxury vehicles. Video evidence provided to insurance companies depicted what appeared to be the animal entering the front seat of a Rolls Royce and then moving towards the rear by clawing. This footage raised suspicions among investigators from the California Department of Insurance, who, after executing a search warrant, discovered a bear costume at the suspects’ residence. In a press release, the department stated, “Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume.” The four residents from the Los Angeles area now face charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy. They had previously received $141,839 (£111,619) in insurance payouts. The individuals arrested in this operation, which investigators named “Operation Bear Claw,” are: Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39. Investigators reported a total of three incidents where the suspects submitted insurance claims for vehicles damaged by a bear. The initial claim occurred in January, when the suspects purportedly claimed that a bear had entered a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost, a vehicle retailing for approximately $100,000, and damaged its interior. Blurry night-time video footage shows the bear spending about 30-45 seconds inside the car, rummaging through the front and back sections, before exiting through the open passenger door. Photographs of the damage displayed claw marks on the leather seats and the leather lining of one of the doors. Two additional insurance claims were subsequently filed with two distinct insurance providers. Both of these claims shared the same date of loss, the same address, and the same alleged bear damage. These incidents involved a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E35. To verify that the footage depicted a human in a costume rather than an actual bear, department officials sought assistance from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist. The biologist concluded that “it was clearly a human in a bear suit.” The state’s Insurance Department confirmed that the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol provided assistance during the investigation. The San Bernadino County District Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution of these charges.