California Bear-suit Luxury Car Scam Ends In Insurance Fraud Sentences For 3

LOS ANGELES — Three group successful California person been sentenced for security fraud successful a bizarre scam that progressive personification dressed successful a carnivore costume damaging luxury cars.

The California Insurance Department said nan 3 used a personification successful a carnivore suit to shape clone attacks wrong a Rolls-Royce and 2 Mercedes successful 2024, past submitted fraudulent claims seeking astir $142,000 successful payouts from security companies. The section called it “Operation Bear Claw.”

Two Los Angeles-area men and a female pleaded nary title to felony security fraud and were sentenced to a play jailhouse program, followed by probation, nan section said successful a news merchandise Thursday. Two disconnected them were ordered to salary complete $50,000 successful restitution.

A 4th personification faces a tribunal proceeding successful September.

The group is accused of providing respective videos from nan San Bernardino Mountains of a carnivore moving wrong nan vehicles to nan security companies arsenic portion of their harm claims, nan section said. Photos provided by nan security section show what appeared to beryllium scratches connected nan seats and doors.

Images provided by nan California Department of Insurance show harm done to respective luxury vehicles.California Department of Insurance

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist reviewed nan footage and concluded it was “clearly a quality successful a carnivore suit,” nan security section said.

After executing a hunt warrant, detectives recovered nan carnivore costume successful nan suspects’ home, nan section said.

Bears breaking into homes aliases trash cans successful hunt of nutrient person go a problem successful California from Lake Tahoe successful nan Sierra down to nan foothill suburbs of Los Angeles, wherever immoderate person been known to ambush refrigerators and return dips successful backyard pools and basking tubs.