Detroit arson ringleader gets 137 years in prison

Published May 8, 2013 11:54pm ET



DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit federal judge has sentenced a man to 137 years in prison for leading an arson ring that prosecutors say led to the destruction of numerous homes and the theft of $5 million from insurance companies.

The Justice Department says U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland sentenced 31-year-old Ali Darwich on Wednesday. The Beverly Hills man was convicted of 33 criminal counts at a trial in December.

The government says the scheme by Darwich and eight co-defendants started in 2005.

It says they’d buy insurance for various buildings and vehicles and then intentionally burn or damage them.

The eight others have pleaded guilty.