DETROIT – A Michigan man was arrested Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan for deliberately setting over two dozen trailers on fire in eight states.
Viorel Pricop, 64, appeared in court Wednesday to face charges that he lit 25 trailers belonging to Phoenix-based Swift Transportation over two years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to The Associated Press, the trucks were ignited while stopped at fuel stations or rest areas, primarily along Interstates 10 and 40. Six of the fires occurred in California, three in Arizona, nine in New Mexico, three in Texas, and one each in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama.
Authorities caught Pricop after an investigation revealed that his GPS unit was at the approximate locations where 24 of the 25 fires started. Additional investigations connected his company cellphone, and record-keeping documents coincided with the arsons, the affidavit states.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Pricop had been convicted in 2018 for transporting stolen goods, and Swift cooperated in that investigation. He was sentenced to two years and was given credit for time served. He was released one year before the arsons began.
Pricop is charged with one count of arson of property in interstate commerce, which carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison.
