Maine Man Sentenced for Insurance Theft

A Maine man recently convicted of federal gun charges has pleaded no contest in state court to insurance fraud charges for burning down his house.

Joseph T. Smith of Township 6 pleaded no contest last week to a charge of theft by insurance deception and was sentenced to two years in jail. He will serve that sentence at the same time he is serving a nearly 3 1/2-year federal prison sentence for possessing three sawed-off shotguns not registered to him.

The 66-year-old Smith was accused of torching a house in June 2010 and of collecting more than $10,000 in insurance. Prosecutors say Smith removed valuable items first.

The Sun Journal reports that Smith’s attorney said his client disagreed with the state’s case but knew he could be found guilty.