Humans Who Used a Bear Suit to Defraud Car Insurers Sentenced to Jail
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Three Southern California residents were sentenced to 180 days in jail for orchestrating a fake bear attack scheme on luxury cars, resulting in over $141,000 in fraudulent insurance claims.
- The scheme involved a person dressed in a bear suit using claw-like kitchen utensils to create scratch marks inside high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes-Benzes.
- Ruben Tamrazian and Vahe Muradkhanyan were each ordered to pay more than $50,000 in restitution, while Alfiya Zuckerman’s restitution amount is still pending; all three pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud.
- The California Department of Insurance launched "Operation Bear Claw" after suspicious claims and video footage revealed the staged attacks, leading to arrests in November 2024 and the discovery of the bear costume and meat claws during a search.
- A fourth defendant, Ararat Chirkinian, has a preliminary court hearing scheduled for September 2025.
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