A Minnesota man has been sentenced for staging a vandalistic crime on his property and fraudulently submitting an insurance claim for the damages after blaming it on Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
Though he received over $80,000 in this scheme, his sentence requires him only to pay a fine of over $18,381 and $3,850 in restitution.
Denis Vladmirovich Molla will also spend two-and-a-half years in federal prison for orchestrating the politically motivated arson.
Molla, 29, pleaded guilty to burning his camper down and placing the blame on the leftist groups. The Brooklyn Center man also spray painted the name and symbols of the organizations on his own door before torching the garage, CBS News reports.
U.S. District judge David Doty sentenced Molla to 30 months and one year of supervised release along with a fine and restitution after he requested a downward variance. This is less than the prosecution’s original request of at least 41 months.
Molla reported the property damage on Sept. 23, 2020, around 3 a.m., stating his camper was targeted “because it had a Trump 2020 flag displayed on it,” adding the “suspects” painted “Biden 2020,” “BLM” and the symbol for Antifa/Anarchy (an A with a circle in it).
The man and his wife told reporters they were asleep with their two children, an infant and a toddler, in the house when someone set the camper on fire.
Prosecutors said in court filings that when the first responders pulled up to the scene, Molla was outside holding the baby, and his wife and other child were still inside, MPR News reported.
According to Molla, the fire spread from the camper, burnt down the garage, totaled three vehicles and damaged the home.
Reports show first responders saved three dogs and four puppies from the house during the blaze.
Molla told police that he saw three figures running out of his yard before the fire, and he believed it was because he had a Trump 2020 flag on the camper.
“It just shocked me,” he said in 2020. “This kind of stuff should not happen, especially over beliefs of some sort.”
However, before Molla pled guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office debunked his claim. It said he defaced and burnt up his own property in an effort to promote a political agenda and attempt to make extra money.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said Molla “further leaned into his false narrative” by “aggressively pursuing insurance claims.”
Molla was captured on surveillance video purchasing gas cans, spray paint and Duraflame fire logs at a Menards store in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.
The investigation also uncovered that the Trump supporter not only repositioned his home surveillance cameras prior to setting the fire but covered them up with a rag.
When presented with the evidence, Molla admitted to the whole ploy.
The man, who lives in the same city Kim Potter fatally shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, filed a claim with his insurance company for over $300,000. The insurance company only approved and processed $61,263. After getting about a fifth of his request, he accused the insurance agency of “defrauding him.”
He also set up two crowdfunding campaigns with GoFundMe, receiving over $22,231 in total donations.
Defense Attorney Ryan Garry said his client has paid back more than $83,000 to the insurance company and the GoFundMe donors. He was facing up to 20 years in prison for just one of the wire fraud charges.
