Video captured an individual wearing a bear costume allegedly making an attempt to break a luxurious automobile. (CA Division of Insurance coverage by way of Vimeo)
Three Los Angeles-area residents had been just lately convicted in an uncommon insurance coverage fraud scheme utilizing an individual in a bear costume to pretend assaults on high-end autos to gather insurance coverage payouts.
As a part of the California Division of Insurance coverage’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 coverage fraud and had been sentenced to 180 days in jail and two years of supervised probation and had been ordered to pay restitution.
A fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, is scheduled to return to courtroom in September for a preliminary listening to.
The bear costume used within the alleged January insurance coverage rip-off. (California Division of Insurance coverage / Fox Information)
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The investigation started after an insurance coverage firm flagged a suspicious declare tied to a Jan. 28, 2024, incident in Lake Arrowhead.
The suspects claimed a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and triggered inside injury, submitting video footage as proof.
Detectives later decided the “bear” within the video was an individual carrying a bear costume and uncovered two extra fraudulent claims submitted to separate insurance coverage firms involving the identical date and site however tied to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
Ararat Chirkinian, left, Alfiya Zuckerman and Ruben Tamrazian had been arrested within the alleged insurance coverage fraud. (California Division of Insurance coverage / Fox Information)
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A biologist from the California Division of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the video and concluded the animal proven was “clearly a human in a bear swimsuit,” in accordance with authorities.
Detectives executed a search warrant and recovered the costume from the suspects’ dwelling.
Officers stated the full loss to the insurance coverage firms was $141,839, although the names of the companies weren’t launched.
Investigators stated the insurance coverage fraud scheme concerned greater than $100,000. (iStock / iStock)
“What could have regarded unbelievable turned out to be precisely that, and now these accountable are being held accountable,” Insurance coverage Commissioner Ricardo Lara wrote in a press release Thursday. “My Division’s investigators uncovered the info, uncovered this rip-off and helped carry these defendants to justice.
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“Insurance coverage fraud is a severe crime that drives up prices for customers, and no scheme is just too outrageous for us to analyze.”
