Three sentenced for 'man in bear suit' insurance scam

Video went viral after investigators determined the purported ursine was actually a man in a costume. Three sentenced for 'man in bear suit' insurance scam Watch: Cars damaged by bear revealed to be person in costume Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The bear costume allegedly used in an insurance fraud scam A man in a bear costume clambers into a car in black and white security camera footage. Three men have been sentenced in California for an insurance scam using someone in a bear costume to stage fake attacks on luxury cars. Viral video handed to insurers as evidence seemed to show a bear in a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead on 28 January 2024. Similar claims were filed on the same date and location for two high-end Mercedes models. But biologists at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the footage and determined it showed a human in a bear suit. The state insurance department launched "Operation Bear Claw", executing a search warrant and finding a bear outfit in the suspects' home. The fraud involved $141,839 (£105,000) in insurance payments. Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, Ruben Tamrazian, 26, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced on Thursday to 180 days in jail, plus two years of supervised probation. "What may have looked unbelievable turned out to be exactly that - and now those responsible are being held accountable," state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara said. Decommissioned hoses from a fire service prove to be a paw-some addition to enclosures at a zoo. Scientists think that Svalbard bears have adapted to recent ice loss by eating more land-based prey. Polar bears Nanook and Noori enjoy rolling around in the snow at the Peak Wildlife Park near Leek. The Congolese government stresses those expelled from the US are only in the country temporarily. The Scottish 24-year-old admits defrauding at least a dozen companies and their employees across the US. Both Republicans and Democrats are pushing to reform the law, saying it allows "warrantless searches" of Americans' digital communications. The remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found in the singer's car last year. US President Donald Trump welcomed Tehran's announcement but said the US naval blockade would continue until a peace deal was reached.