LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Las Vegas man is facing federal charges alleging he started fires and scuffled with firefighters at an unfinished high-rise hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
Acting U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson (el-AYE’-eh-sun) said 26-year-old Andrew Joseph Sanders made an initial court appearance Thursday on an arson charge that could get him up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A federal public defender did not immediately respond Friday to messages about the case.
Proseuctors say the March 1 fire caused $10 million damage at the 63-story Drew Las Vegas.
The 4,000-room structure, originally called the Fontainebleau, is under construction again after going bankrupt in 2009 at 70 percent complete.
Sanders is accused of igniting fires on the 11th floor of a parking structure and in a ballroom space.
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