Phoenix man who committed arson for insurance money sentenced
Dec 12, 2023, 11:00 AM
Mohamed Abdelrahman was sentenced to six months in jail and 4 years of probation after committing arson in 2017 to collect an insurance payout. (Arizona Attorney General's Office Photo)
(Arizona Attorney General's Office Photo)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix man was sentenced last month after he committed arson to collect insurance money, officials said.
Mohamed Abdelrahman was sentenced on Nov. 28 to six months in jail, along with four years of supervised probation, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office said. He previously pleaded guilty to arson of a structure on Nov. 7.
Abdelrahman will also be required to pay over $563,000 in restitution for property damage.
Prosecutors said Abdelrahman reported a fire at his commercial unit at a strip mall near Glendale and 19th avenues on Nov. 1, 2017, which led to an investigation that determined the cause of the fire as “incendiary.”
Investigators discovered Abdelrahman raised his property insurance policy and took out an additional one 72 hours prior to the fire, there was gasoline present at the structure, surveillance cameras in the area were tampered with six hours before the blaze, and his vehicle was seen in the area minutes before cameras were tampered with.
The investigation was conducted by the Phoenix Police Department and the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions.
