Fraud of the Week

February 8, 2016

Restaurant Arson Fraud—Connecticut

Amount: $190,000

 

A bookie well known to police faces five or more years in prison for trying to burn down a restaurant for the insurance money. Part owner in the restaurant, he worked with three others to plan the fire, having retained the services of someone experienced in fire and fireworks. He sprayed cooking oil around the deep fryer to feed the fire and set the fire at midnight on a Sunday, unaware that anyone was in the restaurant. The man was rescued, and the insured received $190,000 from insurers; $165,000 has been seized by federal prosecutors from his bank account.