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Office of the District Attorney Financial Difficulties Lead to Arson ALBANY, NY – District Attorney P. David Soares today announced that KERRY BENNETT, 28, of Cohoes, NY, pled guilty to (1) count of Arson in the Third Degree, a Class “C” Felony in front of the Honorable Dan Lamont. “With the mortgage crisis we are currently experiencing and tough economic times ahead, we can expect an increase in crimes involving fraud as people become more desperate to make ends meet. These types of activities are illegal and dangerous and we will not allow criminals to put lives at risk and steal money. There are many programs available to assist with these issues and we encourage people to ask for help before breaking the law,” commented DA Soares. On June 7, 2008, at approximately 1:00 A.M., KERRY BENNETT started a fire on the back porch of 243 Sherman Street by igniting some gasoline. The fire also caused damage to 241 Sherman Street. BENNETT is the owner of both properties and was behind on his mortgage payments. BENNETT then filed fraudulent claims with his insurance company for the damage. Under the terms of the plea bargain, BENNETT faces to 2 1/3 to 7 and restitution when sentenced on January 5, 2009. Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Fowler handled the prosecution of this case. For more information, please contact Heather Streeter Orth. ###
For further information contact: Heather Streeter Orth
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