Fraud of the Week
April 23, 2018
Arson — Massachusetts
Amount: Unknown
Burnt Pizza.
A man from Westfield Massachusetts pleaded guilty last week to a fraud offense relating to an arson that damaged his pizza restaurant in 2016. The fraudster intentionally set his restaurant on fire in June of 2016 and then filed an insurance claim, later receiving a check for $5,000. After he received the first check, he continued to pursue additional payments from his insurance company. He sought additional payments for six months, ceasing in December of 2016. He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. He was arrested in 2017, and has been detained since that arrest. He will face sentencing June 29, 2018.