Latest Arson Headlines

All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.

N.Y. Man to Be Freed in Discredited Arson-Science Case

Aug 21 2014 // A New York City man who has spent 24 years in prison for setting a fire that killed his daughter will be released from custody while prosecutors decide whether to retry him.U.S. District Judge William Nealon on Tuesday...

Ohio Woman Convicted in Arson-for-Insurance Case

Aug 19 2014 // A Youngstown, Ohio, woman has been convicted of setting fire to a rental property in order to collect insurance money, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.Latasha Curtis, 33,...

Wisconsin Man, Insurer Settle Over Wrongful Arson Conviction

Aug 4 2014 // A Friendship, Wis., man who spent almost three years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of arson has reached an undisclosed settlement with his insurance company. Joseph Awe was convicted of burning down a bar he...

Judge: Flawed Science Led to Murder-by-Arson Conviction in Pennsylvania Case

Jun 24 2014 // The arsonist who killed Ji Yun Lee was especially cruel and calculating, dousing her small cabin in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains with more than 60 gallons (230 liters) of gasoline and heating fuel and setting at...

Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Insurance Fraud

Jun 16 2014 // A western Missouri man has admitted leading a conspiracy to buy cheap houses and set them on fire to collect nearly $435,000 in insurance benefits.The U.S. Attorney’s office says 27-year-old Joshua Stamps, of...

Minnesota Town Struggles with Arson Problem

Jun 11 2014 // When a 17-year-old boy was arrested in May in a suspected arson fire that scorched 76 forested acres near Cass Lake, Minn., it was just the latest indication the city has a problem with fire-setting.An analysis of arson...

3 More Sentenced in $1M West Virginia Arson, Insurance Fraud

Jun 2 2014 // Three more defendants in a $1 million arson insurance scheme in Logan, West Virginia, have been sentenced to prison. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said the three were sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison for their...

West Virginia Insurance Agent, Building Owner Sentenced for Arson Scheme

May 27 2014 // A West Virginia insurance agent and a building owner were sentenced in federal court last week in connection with a Logan arson scheme.U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said that James Gregory Glick, 44, of Logan, was sentenced...

5% of All Texas Vehicle Fires Are Arson, Fire Marshal Says

May 1 2014 // In Texas, approximately five percent of all vehicle fires are intentionally set, which accounts for $3.5 million in vehicle fire losses, according the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office.“Vehicle arson is not a...

Out of Prison, Michigan Man Files Suit Over Wrongful Arson Verdict

Apr 17 2014 // A man who spent five years in prison for a wrongful arson conviction has sued a northern Michigan county, three sheriff’s deputies and a state trooper.Forty-year-old Victor Caminata was convicted in 2008 of burning a...

Judge Orders 8 Year Sentence for Arson at San Antonio Denny’s

Apr 9 2014 // A man who complained about alleged slow service at a Denny’s in South Texas must serve eight years in prison for starting the restaurant’s Christmas tree on fire.The San Antonio Express-News reports a judge...

Iowa Man Faces Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud

Apr 7 2014 // A Davenport, Iowa, man faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced in May for trying to burn down his home. The Quad-City Times reports that a Scott County jury convicted 47-year-old Brian Earl Lebs of...

2 Florida Police Officers Charged with Boat Arson, Insurance Fraud

Mar 20 2014 // Florida state law enforcement officials announced they arrested a police officer and another man for allegedly conspiring to defraud an insurer by purposely destroying a pleasure boat.The Florida Department of Law...

New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Insurance Fraud

Mar 17 2014 // A resident of New Orleans, La., is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to multiple arson-for-insurance fraud schemesAnthony R. Thomas had been charged with multiple criminal counts for his involvement in a 2007...

Toledo Has Most Arson Fires in Ohio; Few Perpetrators Caught

Feb 25 2014 // The state’s fourth-largest city, where two firefighters died in what investigators say was a blaze set by an apartment building owner, has reported more arsons than anywhere else in Ohio over the past few...

22 Charged in Florida Staged Flood, Fire Fraud Ring

Feb 24 2014 // A major fraud ring that staged fires and floods at South Florida homes to collect millions of dollars in claims from insurance companies has been broken up with charges against 22 people, authorities said.The alleged...

State Fire Marshal Pushes Texas Arson Hotline

Feb 13 2014 // Texas State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy is urging all fire chiefs, fire marshals and local law enforcement officers to take advantage of the Texas Arson Hotline, which is supported by A Texas Advisory Council on Arson...

22 Charged in Florida Staged Flood, Fire Fraud Ring

Feb 6 2014 // A major fraud ring that staged fires and floods at South Florida homes to collect millions of dollars in claims from insurance companies has been broken up with charges against 22 people, authorities said Tuesday.The...

Ex-Insurance Agent Participated in West Virginia Arson Scheme

Dec 16 2013 // A former West Virginia insurance agent has admitted to his role in an arson scheme in Logan, according to a federal prosecutor.U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said 44-year-old William Janey Thompson pleaded guilty to wire...

Tupelo, Mississippi’s New Residents Could Face Double Charges for Fire Services

Nov 13 2013 // City residents annexed by Tupelo, Miss., in 2012 may see two charges for fire protection when they open their tax bills in less than a month.Property owners living in seven of the 17 volunteer fire departments in Lee...