Suspects nabbed for ‘man in bear suit’ insurance scam

Four folks have been arrested after allegedly submitting faux insurance coverage claims stating {that a} bear had broken the interiors of three luxurious vehicles.

Video footage submitted to insurers as proof confirmed what seemed to be the animal climbing into the entrance seat of Rolls Royce, then clawing its manner towards the again.

The footage drew suspicion from investigators with the California Department of Insurance, who after executing a search warrant, discovered a bear costume within the suspects’ house.

“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” the division stated in a press launch.

The 4 Los Angeles-area residents have been charged with insurance coverage fraud and conspiracy after having acquired $141,839 (£111,619) in insurance coverage funds.

Those arrested in what investigators dubbed “Operation Bear Claw” are: Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39.

There have been three whole incidents the place the suspects filed insurance coverage claims for cars-damaged-by-bear, investigators stated.

The preliminary declare was in January, when the suspects allegedly stated {that a} bear entered a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost – retailing for round $100,000 – and broken its inside.

Fuzzy night-time footage exhibits the bear spending about 30-45 seconds within the automobile, rummaging round the back and front, earlier than falling out of the open passenger door.

Photos of the harm reveal claw marks on the leather-based seats and the leather-based lining of one of many doorways.

There have been two extra insurance coverage claims filed with two totally different insurance coverage corporations, every with the identical date of loss, the identical deal with and the identical alleged bear harm.

Those incidents concerned a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E35.

To affirm the footage confirmed a costumed human and never a bear, division officers requested for help from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, who decided that “it was clearly a human in a bear suit”.

The Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol assisted within the investigation, the state’s Insurance Department stated.

The San Bernadino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the costs.