PROVIDENCE, RI—Louisa M. Knight, 43,
pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to setting fire to
her Warwick, Rhode Island home on July 11, 2011, then fraudulently collecting
nearly $42,000 in insurance payments in an arson-for-profit scheme, announced
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
Knight pleaded guilty to one count of
mail fraud and one count of use of fire to commit mail fraud. She faces up to
30 years in federal prison, followed by up to eight years of supervised
release, and a fine of up to $500,000 when she is sentenced by U.S. District
Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. on August 1, 2012.
At today’s change-of-plea hearing,
Knight admitted to the court that she intentionally set fire to a bureau in the
basement of her home, which then quickly spread upward and ignited wooden
joists and floor boards. The house suffered significant smoke and water damage.
Knight admitted that she had left
numerous paint cans uncovered on the living room floor in an effort to make it
appear that the room was to be painted. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke
and little or no visibility when they entered the house, and the paint cans
were knocked over and their contents spilled. Knight admitted to the court that
as part of the scheme, she asked a friend to drive her to a local hardware
store and that they agreed to tell investigators they had left the house to
purchase paintbrushes when the fire began.
Knight also admitted to the court that
as part of the scheme and prior to igniting the fire, she removed numerous
personal items from the home and that she sent her daughter and a friend to a
nearby park with their family pets. The daughter and her friend, both of who
were aware of the plan to light the house on fire, told the police and fire
personnel that they had lit a candle in the basement and left it burning when
they took the dogs for a walk.
Knight admitted to the court that she
was in financial distress and that she made incriminating admissions to at
least five individuals that she would remedy her financial situation by setting
fire to her house and cause an insurance claim to be filed with her insurance
company. Knight subsequently received two settlement payments totaling
$41,957.46.
The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
The matter was investigated by the FBI;
Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; Rhode Island State Police;
and Warwick Fire Department.
No comments:
Post a Comment