In 2008, Jay Aneja caused a fire to spread throughout a suburban Virginia strip mall, resulting in damages estimated at $709,000 spread across five local businesses, according to The Roanoke Times.
The Canadian citizen admitted that he hired someone to set his failing furniture store ablaze for $3,000, in order to collect an insurance payout. That man contracted out two other individuals, and the three caused more damage than intended.
The fire not only devastated Weekend Sofa Outlet, but also caused $300,000 worth of harm to neighboring stores. Aneja originally tried to obtain $137,963 from his insurer, but the claim was rejected.
He then fled to India and Canada, but was eventually sent back to the U.S. to await federal charges for insurance fraud. He has since plead guilty, and now faces 84 months in prison and owes $709,000 in restitutions, alongside the three hired men who started the fire.
Aneja will receive credit for time he spent behind bars in Canada, as well as the months he’s spent in prison while undergoing trial. Prosecutors contend that once he completes his sentence, he will likely remain on probation for a year and then be deported to Canada.
