ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - A man whose Roanoke furniture outlet was heavily damaged in a 2008 fire has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Fifty-three-year-old Jay Aneja was sentenced Friday in federal court in Roanoke.
The Roanoke Times (https://bit.ly/1dqRrti) reports Aneja had pleaded guilty to using fire to commit fraud. But a judge Friday rejected that agreement because it carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. Instead, Aneja was allowed to plead to maliciously damaging a building by fire. He also was ordered to pay restitution.
According to court records, Aneja planned to collect insurance payments from the fire, which also damaged four other businesses. Aneja fled to India, then Canada, before he was returned to Roanoke in federal custody last summer.
Three other men pleaded guilty in the case.
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, https://www.roanoke.com
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