Friday, February 13, 2004
D.A. BROWN: LANDLORD CONVICTED ON ALL CHARGES OF ARSON FOR PROFIT; JURY FINDS HIM GUILTY OF SETTING FIRE WITH ACCOMPLICE TO RESIDENCE CAUSING INJURY TO THREE FIREFIGHTERS AND FILING FRAUDULENT INSURANCE CLAIM SEEKING DAMAGE SETTLEMENT
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a landlord has been found guilty of all charges in a December 2000 arson-for-profit of his residence in Jamaica, Queens that resulted in serious burns to his alleged accomplice and injuries to three firefighters who responded to the blaze.
Quick action by firefighters saved the life of the alleged accomplice who was trapped inside the burning two-story building.
District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has been convicted of masterminding a dangerous plot aided by an accomplice to set fire to a heavily-mortgaged building that he owned and in which he lived to enable him to file an insurance claim and receive a settlement. Firefighters placed their lives at grave risk and three were injured and their quick response and effective action saved the accomplice’s life.”
District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Emile Moreau, 47, of 201 West 120th Street in Manhattan who previously resided at 198-12 Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, the scene of the fire, and the accomplice as Vincent Allen, 54, of 208 Grafton Street in Brooklyn, who testified as a witness for the prosecution.
The District Attorney said that a jury of six men and six women deliberated over two days after a four week trial before returning a verdict of guilty earlier today before Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Cooperman. The landlord was convicted of Arson in the First Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Conspiracy in the Second Degree, Insurance Fraud in the Second Degree, Criminal Solicitation in the Second Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree and faces up to 35 years to life in prison at sentencing on March 9, 2004.
According to the District Attorney, over 30 firefighters from Engine Company 301, Ladder Companies 150 and 162 and members of additional command and response units responded to the fire on December 4, 2000 about at 4:53 a.m. and found the building filled with flames and smoke. Firefighters broke down an apartment door, found the accomplice seriously-injured with third degree burns to his face, hands and arms and lying on the floor. They rescued him by carrying him to safety.
Three firefighters suffered injuries at the fire scene. One firefighter sustained torn knee ligaments, and two other firefighters sustained shoulder and back injuries requiring hospital treatment.
An investigation subsequently determined that an accelerant, gasoline, had been splashed around at various locations inside the building which then had been ignited and that the fire had caused charring and over $50,000 in damage to the building.
As a result of a long investigation, Allen was arrested and charged with arson and other offenses in July 2002. Detectives and fire marshals working together with prosecutors developed additional evidence about the case which led to Moreau’s arrest the following month.
A criminal complaint alleged that Moreau asked for Allen’s assistance to set the fire and promised in return to give Allen “some of the insurance money.” It further alleged that Moreau was over $50,000 in arrears on a mortgage for the premises, owed over $200,000 to Ocwen Federal Bank for the property and had filed a claim seeking a settlement from Seneca Insurance, his fire insurance carrier, for which it had set aside over $25,000.
The criminal complaint additionally alleged that after both Moreau and Allen splashed gasoline around the building’s basement that Moreau went upstairs to pour more gasoline and that Allen then heard the front door slam and that when he, too, tried to flee to safety that he could not do so because the front door was locked, trapping him inside in the flames.
The investigation was conducted by Detective William Ryan of the New York City Police Department’s Arson and Explosion Squad under the supervision of commanding officer Lieutenant Mark Torre and under the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives William H. Allee, Jr., now retired, and by Fire Marshals Edward D. Zebrowski and Brian O’Connell of the Fire Department’s Bureau of Fire Investigation under the supervision of Supervising Fire Marshal J. David Lynn and under the overall supervision of Chief Fire Marshal Louis Garcia.
The case was investigated by former Assistant District Attorney Alan Bode of the District Attorney’s Economic and Environmental Crimes Bureau and is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brian J. Mich, Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.