Warren man pleads guilty to arson-for-profit scheme
Casino records and recordings of a Warren man are part of the evidence federal prosecutors are expected to offer when they begin presenting their case against the last of three men implicated in an alleged plot to torch homes in the city of Warren to collect the insurance money.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Casino records and recordings of a Warren man are part of the evidence federal prosecutors are expected to offer when they begin presenting their case against the last of three men implicated in an alleged plot to torch homes in the city of Warren to collect the insurance money.
According to the court records, 49-year old Daryl Evans withdrew his former plea of not guilty, executed a plea agreement and entered a guilty plea.
Evans will be sentenced on July 25 at noon.
Evans was set to begin trial in a U.S District Court today.
A federal grand jury last year handed up an eight-count indictment charging Evans last year with mail fraud, conspiracy, use of fire in commission of a felony, destroying property used in interstate commerce.
Two others named in the indictment, Maurice Evans and David White have already pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
In additions to recordings of Daryl Evans and David White, the evidence list includes records from Hollywood and Mountaineer casinos from 2013 to 2015.
According to the indictment, Daryl Evans bought homes at 1628 Hamilton Street SW and 267 Parkman Road and rented them out to tenants.
Investigators say that on August 19, 2013, Maurice Evans gave an arsonist cash and drugs to set fire to the Hamilton Street home. The indictment does not name the alleged arsonist.
The fire didn't entirely destroy the home. Investigators say Daryl Evans collected insurance money to make repairs, only to have Maurice Evans set fire to the house again on April 14, 2014, according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutors say Daryl Evans hired David White to torch the Parkman Road home on January 4, 2015, promising to share proceeds from the insurance claim with White.
The indictment says State Farm Insurance paid out a more than $138,000 in claims for the three fires at the two homes.