Judge Convicts Man of Arson, Conspiracy Following Two Fires on Defendant’s Properties
NORFOLK, Va. — A judge convicted Clifford Symmons Hunter, 48, on Wednesday of committing arson and conspiring to commit arson after Mr. Hunter set fire to his own property with the intent to fraudulently collect insurance benefits.
On Feb. 17, 2018, Mr. Hunter conspired with two accomplices to have them set fire to an unoccupied house Mr. Hunter owned on Hydro Street. A Norfolk Fire-Rescue investigator found that the fire was not due to faulty wiring, weather, or other incidental reasons. Mr. Hunter intended to use the fire to put in a fraudulent claim to his insurance company.
On July 27, 2019, Mr. Hunter’s accomplices burned another of Mr. Hunter’s unoccupied properties on Riverside Drive at Mr. Hunter’s direction. A Norfolk Fire-Rescue investigator deemed the cause of that fire to be arson after finding containers that had been filled with gasoline in the home. Again, Mr. Hunter intended to use the fire to defraud his insurance company.
Following a bench trial on Wednesday, Judge Mary Jane Hall found Mr. Hunter guilty of committing arson and conspiring to commit arson on the first home and conspiring to commit arson on the second home. Mr. Hunter is docketed for sentencing on May 31. Mr. Hunter was also found in contempt of court for failing to appear at a previously scheduled trial while on bond, and Judge Hall sentenced him to 10 days in the Norfolk City Jail.
“Setting fires to collect insurance money is arson. It is incredibly dangerous, because if the fire spins out of control it can damage other people’s property and get people hurt,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “And any time someone attempts to cheat their insurance company, they are jacking up the costs of insurance for people who follow the rules. We all deserve better.”
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney William S. Maydosz and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jessica L. Terkovich are prosecuting Mr. Hunter’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Fire-Rescue Investigators Christopher R. Spence, Renee M. Criswell, and Eric J. Phillips led the investigation.
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