Fraud of the Week

Homeowners fraud – Pennsylvania

Amount – Unknown

A homeowner is accused of setting her home on fire because she had no luck selling the property. She had asked friends to help fix the property before selling it, and unexpected structural deficiencies were found. The woman talked about being tired of all the repairs and made offers to friends to pay them to burn the property. On the day of the fire, she was seen removing various household items from the house. She left the house to go out of town and neighbors reported seeing smoke coming from the property about an hour after she left. A neighbor gave the firefighters a key to the property and they entered the house and put out the fire. The fire started in two different places, and all ignition sources other than an intentional act were ruled out. The woman is charged with several felony counts including arson, reckless burning, risking a catastrophe, and filing a false insurance claim. She is free on a $100,000 bond with a preliminary hearing set for August 30.