3 California Dinguses Jailed for Bear Costume Insurance Scam

Three Southern California dinguses have been sentenced after prosecutors say they pulled off one of the strangest insurance fraud schemes imaginable: faking bear attacks on luxury vehicles.

According to officials, the scheme centered on an insurance claim involving a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost. The suspects told their insurance company that a bear had gotten inside the car while it was parked in Lake Arrowhead on Jan. 28, 2024, leaving damage and scratches throughout the interior.

To support the claim, they submitted video showing what appeared to be a bear inside the vehicle.

That’s when investigators took a closer look, and made the “grizzly” discovery. (don’t laugh at that.)

The California Department of Insurance launched what it called Operation Bear Claw and reviewed the footage. Investigators then showed the video to biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Their conclusion was not subtle: it was clearly a human in a bear suit.

Authorities say the investigation uncovered two additional fraudulent claims submitted to other insurance companies involving the same supposed incident.

Officials say the total attempted cost to insurance companies was $141,839.

On Thursday, Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village; Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale were each sentenced to 180 days in jail and ordered to pay restitution.

A fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, still has a pending case.

So yes — this allegedly involved a Rolls-Royce, a fake bear attack, multiple insurance claims, and what turned out to be a bear costume performance that did not survive contact with actual wildlife experts.