Overview
- Three Los Angeles County defendants, sentenced Thursday, received 180 days in a weekend jail program and two years of supervised probation, and the case against a fourth defendant is set for a September 2026 hearing.
- Prosecutors said the group staged a Jan. 28, 2024 incident in Lake Arrowhead by using a person in a bear costume to damage a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, then tied near-identical videos to a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
- Detectives consulted a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist who said the “bear” was a human in a suit, then recovered the costume and meat-claw tools during a search in an investigation dubbed Operation Bear Claw.
- Judges ordered restitution of $55,360 from Alfiya Zuckerman and $52,268 from Ruben Tamrazian, with Vahe Muradkhanyan’s restitution not yet set.
- Authorities put insurer losses at $141,839 after Bristol West and Progressive paid claims and State Farm denied one claim. Experts say insurers sometimes pay fast to avoid legal fights, which can let staged claims through and raise costs for other drivers.