Three California residents were sentenced for insurance fraud in a scheme involving someone dressed in a bear costume staging fake attacks on luxury vehicles, according to the California Insurance Department.
The Scheme
The group submitted fraudulent damage claims seeking nearly $142,000 in payouts from a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes-Benz vehicles during the 2024 scheme. The California Insurance Department called the operation “Operation Bear Claw.” The group provided videos recorded in the San Bernardino Mountains of the purported bear moving inside the vehicles as part of their insurance claims. They also submitted photos showing apparent scratches on the vehicle seats and doors.
Investigation Exposed the Fraud
A California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist reviewed the footage and concluded it was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” the insurance department said. Following a search warrant execution at the suspects’ home, detectives found the bear costume, providing physical evidence of the scheme.
Legal Outcomes
Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to weekend jail programs followed by probation, the department announced in an April 18 news release. Two of the defendants were ordered to pay over $50,000 in restitution. A fourth person faces a court hearing in September related to the scheme.
The scam was plausible because bears are increasingly common in California. From the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe to the foothills of Los Angeles, the animals have been documented raiding refrigerators, swimming in backyard pools and hot tubs, and causing property damage while searching for food.