Arson—Ohio

Amount: Unknown

A Florida couple purchased a home in Toledo and set fire to it in order to collect the insurance reimbursement. The couple was sentenced this week after sentencing was delayed due to Hurricane Irma. In July, both members of the couple entered Alford pleas. When a defendant enters an Alford plea in a criminal case, he does not admit to the criminal act. Instead he asserts innocence, but admits that the evidence the prosecution has would be likely to persuade a judge or jury that he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In this case, the couple asserted their innocence, but prior to the fire the Toledo Fire Department had received a tip from the FBI in Miami that the couple had purchased a home in Toledo with the intention of setting it on fire and collecting the insurance reimbursement for the damage. Unfortunately for the couple, at the time the fire department was notified of the blaze, they were all attending the Last Call Ceremony for two of their fellow fallen officers. The Judge noted that the intentional fire could have injured the responding fire fighters and caused property damage to neighbors' homes. The couple stated that they would like to move on.

The couple received six months in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and they were also ordered to fulfill 100 hours of community service.