Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that a St. Clair County woman was indicted on June 20, 2017 for an arson offense.
Lori M. Jones, 49, of East St. Louis, was charged in a one-count indictment charging arson. The indictment alleges that on May 31, 2016, Jones maliciously damaged by fire the Cahokia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cahokia, IL. Jones made her initial appearance in federal court on June 22, 2017. At that hearing, Jones was released on bond pending a July 31, 2017 jury trial. Special conditions of Jones’s bond are that she be placed on electronic monitoring and that she cannot be employed by a nursing home, assisted care facility or in any capacity in which she assists or takes care of other individuals.
The arson offense carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years imprisonment up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms with assistance from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
