A Minnesota man pleaded guilty to charges that he set his own camper on fire before blaming it on “Black Lives Matter” and “antifa,” USA Today reports.
Denis Vladmirovich Molla in December 2020, shortly after Trump’s election loss, falsely reported to police that his camper was set on fire because it had a Trump 2020 flag.
He also claimed that his garage door was vandalized with graffiti saying “BLM,” “Biden 2020,” and a symbol associated with antifa.
Molla, 30, claimed that he saw three men nearly his property when he heard an explosion.
He and his wife Deana claimed to reporters that they were asleep with their young children when their home caught on fire.
Emergency crews responded to help rescue seven dogs from the home.
Fake:
"In reality, Molla started his own property on fire and spray painted the graffiti on his own garage," U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a press release.
Molla submitted multiple insurance claims seeking $300,000 in damages.
Molla received $61,000 from his insurance company but some of his other claims were denied.
Molla “threatened to report the company to authorities when it denied some of his claims,” according to the report.
Molla also raised more than $17,000 on GoFundMe.
“The defendant provided written comments on both GoFundMe accounts documenting the property losses that he suffered, thanking the numerous donors,” his plea agreement said.
Pleads guilty:
Molla agreed to plead guilty to one of two counts of wire fraud.
The DOJ agreed to drop the second fraud charge.
Molla faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
He also agreed to pay $22,000 to GoFundMe donors.
"Mr. Molla was obviously remorseful during his federal plea hearing yesterday. He is a wonderful husband and father who made a mistake that he very much regrets," Molla's lawyer Ryan Garry said in a statement to USA Today. "He has accepted full responsibility for his actions and is sorry for what happened."
