Four arrested in California for staging fake bear attacks

Four residents from the Los Angeles area have been arrested in connection with a bizarre insurance fraud scheme involving a life-sized bear costume. 

The suspects—Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39—have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy. Their fraudulent scheme reportedly cost three insurance companies a total of $141,839, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"Operation Bear Claw" was launched earlier this year after one of the claims raised suspicions with an insurance company (or should we say, caused them to take a closer look at the 'paws').

In January, the suspects filed a claim stating that a bear had entered their 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and caused interior damage while it was parked in Lake Arrowhead, a region in the San Bernardino Mountains known for its large black bear population.

The suspects submitted video footage of the supposed incident to their unnamed insurance company, which has since been shared online by the department. The footage shows a furry figure entering through the side door, climbing around the backseat, and crawling out, leaving scratch marks on the leather seats and door.

"Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume," officials said.

Detectives uncovered two additional claims linked to the same suspects, filed on the same date and in the same location, but involving different vehicles: a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

The suspects also submitted video footage for these claims, which followed a similar pattern to the first. However, authorities didn’t just rely on their animal instincts to detect the scam—they took further steps to dig into the truth.

"The Department enlisted a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the three purported bear videos, and they too concluded that it was clearly a person in a bear suit," the statement said.

Detectives carried out a search warrant and discovered the bear costume — featuring a furry head with a snout, paws, and metal claws — at the suspects' residence.

The costume's fur is light brown, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife notes that while black bears are the only wild bears in the state, they can appear in various colors, including brown and tan. (California’s grizzly bears were declared extinct in the 1920s, except for the one featured on the state flag.)

The insurance department stated that the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol assisted in the investigation, which has now been forwarded to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

The district attorney's office told NPR in an email that the case is currently under review to determine whether charges will be filed. Once a decision is made, court dates and appearances will be scheduled.

By Naila Huseynova