Pre-dawn swoop in Boston to smash $6M arson ring

Press, 19 October 1977, Page 8

Pre-dawn swoop in Boston to smash $6M arson ring

.NZPA-Reuter Boston i In raids that began in Boston before dawn yesteriday, the police arrested 22 arson officials, public adjusters, lawyers,, and businessmen after a four-month investigation of what officials called the largest arson ring in the nation’s history, the “New York Times” reports. Among those arrested |were a retired captain of the : Boston arson squad and a ' former millionaire financier ■ who was described by the authorities as “a onetime [boy wonder of the Boston ■ financial community.” A Suffolk County grand .'jury returned 121 indict- ; ments against 33 persons jlast week, charging them i with crimes ranging from i murder to bribery in an al-

leged arson ring operating for the last four years in the greater Boston area. The remainder of those indicted were expected to be brought into custody soon. Mr Francis Bellotti, the State’s attorney-general, described the operation as the most extensive arson-for-hire ring ever uncovered, adding that the property lost in the 35 fires ascribed to the ring was valued at S6M.

Most of this amount had been fraudulently collected, Mr Bellotti said, through a conspiracy involving arsonists, property owners, realestate speculators, insurance people, public adjusters, attorneys. and law-enforce-ment officials.

Three persons died in the fires, and hundreds of people were injured, according to

officials. Murder charges were brought against three persons — Kevin Doherty, of Boston; Ni’holas Shaheen, of Dedham, Massachusetts, and Robert Trainor, address unknown.

Among those arrested and arraigned yesterday was James Defuria, a former detective in the State fire marshal’s office, who resigned after he was called before the grand jury last week. He was charged with 11 counts of bribery, two counts of conspiracy, and one count each of arson, burning to defraud, and being an accessory after the fact.

Leo Weisentaner. the retired captain of the Boston arson squad, was arrested on a charge of two counts of bribery, i

i Christopher Fitzpatrick, of East Boston, the former financier, was arrested and charged with one count each of arson and burning to defraud. A member of the State attorney-general’s office said Fitzpatrick, now in his early thirties, had once held a seat on the Boston stock exchange, but later went bankrupt. Charged with one count each of arson, burning to defraud and submitting a fraudulent claim, was John Fothergill, a retired captain of the Chelsea Fire Departement. He was employed as a j public adjustor, that is, one [who is responsible for negoi tiating settlements between insurance companies and I those insured,