California bear-suit luxury car scam ends in insurance fraud sentences for 3

U.S. newsCalifornia bear-suit luxury car scam ends in insurance fraud sentences for 3Three people in California have been sentenced for insurance fraud involving a person in a bear costume damaging high-end cars.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00An image provided by the California Department of Insurance shows a bear costume allegedly worn by suspects with the aim to commit insurance fraud. California Department of Insurance via AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 18, 2026, 2:02 PM EDTBy The Associated PressLOS ANGELES — Three people in California have been sentenced for insurance fraud in a bizarre scam that involved someone dressed in a bear costume damaging luxury cars.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The California Insurance Department said the three used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking nearly $142,000 in payouts from insurance companies. The department called it “Operation Bear Claw.”Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to a weekend jail program, followed by probation, the department said in a news release Thursday. Two off them were ordered to pay over $50,000 in restitution.A fourth person faces a court hearing in September.The group is accused of providing several videos from the San Bernardino Mountains of a bear moving inside the vehicles to the insurance companies as part of their damage claims, the department said. Photos provided by the insurance department show what appeared to be scratches on the seats and doors.Images provided by the California Department of Insurance show damage done to several luxury vehicles.California Department of InsuranceA California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist reviewed the footage and concluded it was “clearly a human in a bear suit,” the insurance department sa...