To investigate the possible insurance scam, authorities brought in a biologist, who said the scratches did not match those of a real bear. Christian Cázares reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
After four people were charged with insurance fraud for staging fake bear attacks with a bear costume, officials Thursday shared more details behind how they were able to bust the suspects.
The California Department of Insurance teamed up with San Bernardino County authorities to lead “Operation Bear Claw,” which determined that the four people attempted to defraud insurance companies by claiming a bear had entered their luxury cars and caused interior damage.
The suspects -- Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village -- had requested insurance payout for their cars, a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
When authorities brought in a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife whether the bear was real, the expert said the alleged animal did not leave a trace, such as bear saliva, urine and hair.
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The biologist also said the scratches on the exteriors of the luxury cars did not match what would have been a bear’s claw.
“(The expert) opined it was clearly a human in a bear suit,” the Department of Insurance said in a statement. “Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume.”
When detectives searched the suspects’ homes, they found a bear costume
The suspects allegedly defrauded $141,839 from the insurance companies.
The case is being prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.
Jail records show Tamrazian, Chirkinian and Muradkhanyan were all arrested Wednesday. Tamrazian was being held in lieu of $85,000 bail, while bail was set at $30,000 for Chirkinian and Muradkhanyan. No jail records were immediately available for Zuckerman as of Wednesday.
The case is being prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.
