Man Convicted of Burning Down His Rhode Island Restaurant to Collect Insurance

A Massachusetts man has been convicted of burning down a restaurant he owned in Rhode Island.

Federal prosecutors say 51-year-old Daniel Saad was attempting to collect on a nearly $1 million insurance policy when he set fire to Snow’s Clam Box Restaurant and Pub in Glocester more than two years ago.

A federal jury in Providence on Friday convicted the Spencer, Massachusetts, man on charges including arson and wire fraud.

Saad was $2.5 million in debt when prosecutors said he spread gasoline inside the restaurant and ignited the gas before fleeing the building. A woman who lived in an apartment above the restaurant escaped the flames.

Saad, who denied setting the blaze, was ordered held after the verdict. Sentencing was scheduled for April.