A Warren man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for leading an arson conspiracy in which two homes he owned were intentionally set on fire so he could collect insurance money.
Daryl Evans, 49, previously pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, use of fire in commission of a felony, and other charges.
His brother, Maurice Evans, 56, of Youngstown, was previously sentenced to 34 months in prison for his role in setting two fires.
David White, 50, of Warren, was previously sentenced to 52 months for setting one of the fires.
According to court documents and statements made in court:
Daryl Evans purchased 1628 Hamilton Street in Warren in 2011 and 267 Parkman Road NW in Warren in 2014. He purchased insurance policies for both homes and rented them to tenants.
The Evans brothers agreed to set the Hamilton home on fire on two separate occasions - once in August 2013 and again in April 2014. The first fire, in August 2013, damaged the property but did not completely destroy it.
Following each fire, Daryl Evans caused the submission of a false insurance claim to State Farm Insurance. Daryl Evans promised to compensate Maurice Evans with a portion of the fraudulent insurance proceeds.
Maurice Evans hired another person to set the first fire and paid him with cash and drugs. Daryl Evans fraudulently caused State Farm to pay $31,745 directly to him and $6,000 to the city of Warren after the first fire.
Maurice Evans set the second fire, which resulted in State Farm paying $41,136 to Daryl Evans.
Daryl Evans and David White agreed to set fire to 267 Parkman Road NW. White set fire to the house in January 2015, and Daryl Evans compensated him with cash and drugs.
The fire at 267 Parkman Road NW resulted in a payment from State Farm to Daryl Evans of $44,228.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Warren Fire Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Beeson and James Lewis.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
