California Residents Sentenced for Bear Costume Insurance Fraud

Three California residents, Alfiya Zuckerman, Ruben Tamrazian, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, have been sentenced to 180 days in jail and two years of probation for staging fake bear attacks on luxury vehicles to commit insurance fraud. A fourth suspect, Ararat Chirkinian, awaits a preliminary hearing in September 2026. The scheme involved using a person in a bear costume to simulate attacks on a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost and two Mercedes-Benz Group===Mercedes-Benz vehicles, then submitting fraudulent claims totaling nearly $142,000. The United States===California Department of Insurance, through 'Operation Bear Claw', uncovered the fraud after scrutinizing video footage provided by the suspects, which a United States===California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist confirmed showed a human in a costume. The bear costume was later found during a search warrant.