It is said that a man once wore a bear costume in Southern California and damaged a luxury car, allowing his friends to collect a large insurance payout.
Four people in the Los Angeles area were arrested and charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy after they claimed their luxury car was damaged by a bear. Insurance investigators discovered that the destruction was actually caused by a person wearing a bear costume.
The fake beast allegedly broke into a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost parked at Arrowhead Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains northeast of Los Angeles on January 8, according to the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division.
The owner of the luxury car submitted a video to his insurance company to prove that the creature destroyed the car, but the insurance department did not respond.
“Further review of the video revealed that the bear was actually a person wearing a bear costume,” the California Insurance Fraud Bureau said in a statement.
california department of insurance
Ruben Tamrazian, Ararat Chirkinian, Vahe Muradkanyan, and Alfiya Zuckerman are all charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.
The California Department of Insurance announced that “as a result of the alleged fraud committed by the suspects, the insurance company was defrauded of $141,839.”
The state Department of Health also released footage of an operation called “Operation Bear Claw” detailing the alleged animal production.
Surveillance camera video showed the alleged beast breaking into the passenger side window of the Rolls Royce, but when it got into the back seat, the animal’s “fur” was very shiny. It looked sleek and smooth – a wild creature that looked like a store-bought Halloween costume.
Photos released by investigators revealed very straight, parallel marks inside the Rolls-Royce that damaged the seats and doors, which the car’s owner claimed were caused by bear claws. .
Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage and suggested it was a person in a costume. A bear costume was later found at the suspect’s home after a search warrant was executed.
Photos of the outfit showed what appeared to be a onesie with bear-like fur, attachable feet and hands, and claw-like blades that were believed to have been used to damage the seats.
This incident was not the only questionable claim.
Detectives discovered two additional insurance claims from two different insurance companies where the suspects made reckless claims on the same date and location.
“Each of these allegations involves two different vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350, and the suspects again wore bear costumes and the bear also appeared in these vehicles. “It appears that the vehicle was made to appear as if it had entered the vehicle and was damaged,” the California Department of State said in a statement. Insurance claim completed.
