Four Los Angeles men have been arrested on charges of conspiracy and attempted fraud. They reported to their insurance company that their luxury car had been destroyed by a bear. After all, the men were disguised as animals.
Four Los Angeles residents have been arrested for allegedly faking a bear attack to obtain compensation. Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Krikinian, 39, Vahe Muradhabian, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, were charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.
“Operation Bear Claw”. 4 people indicted
The California Department of Insurance began investigating the matter on January 28, 2024, when the insurance company reported suspicious activity by a customer. The men claimed a bear broke into their Rolls-Royce, which was parked at Arrowhead Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, and caused extensive damage.
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To support their words, the men provided surveillance footage. It depicts animals breaking into cars and destroying the interior. The bear's movements and appearance immediately aroused suspicion. The species also didn't match. Only black bears occur in that area, and the bears recorded were brown.
At the same time, other insurance companies received two similar reports regarding luxury Mercedes vehicles. These were filed on the same day by the same person. A recording is also included.
Reference: Canada. “He came for revenge.'' The bear broke into the car.
The agency asked biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review three videos of the alleged bear. Experts had no doubt that it was a man in costume. When one of the suspects' home was searched, a bear costume and a prosthetic claw were found.
The informed insurance company suffered a total loss of $141,839 (approximately 580,000 PLN). The California Department of Insurance cooperated with the Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Because of its contents, this operation was called “bear claw.” The case is being handled by the prosecutor's office.
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