LOS ANGELES— On April 16, 2026 the California Department of Insurance (CDI) announced that a bizarre insurance fraud scheme involving a bear costume, luxury vehicles, and falsified damage claims has ended in convictions for three Los Angeles area residents following a CDI investigation dubbed “Operation Bear Claw.”

The defendants used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks on high-end vehicles, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking payouts from insurance companies.

Sentencing outcomes include:

• Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud (injuring or destroying insured property). She was sentenced to 180 days in jail (to be served through a weekend jail program), two years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay $55,360 in restitution.
• Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud (injuring or destroying insured property). He was sentenced to 180 days in jail (weekend jail program), two years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay $52,268 in restitution.
• Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud (presenting a false insurance claim). He was sentenced to 180 days in jail (weekend jail program), two years of supervised probation, with restitution to be determined.
• Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale, is scheduled to return to court September 2026 for a preliminary hearing.

The investigation began after an insurance company flagged a suspicious...

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