A Texas man is facing serious criminal charges for allegedly having his property intentionally burned down after initially claiming to be the victim of a hate crime.
In June, a rental property that 50-year-old Mario Roberson owned in Huntsville, Texas, burned to the ground. Three people were inside the residence at the time; two of them died, while another managed to escape, albeit with serious injuries. Roberson, a black man, alleged that his property was targeted because of his race.
“Racism, power hungriness, money has gotten us to this place,” he told KTRK-TV at the time. “You fear for your life when things like this happen.”
2 bodies found in Huntsville home that burned down 1 month after being painted with racial slurswww.youtube.com
The fire happened about one month after another alleged incident of hate when Roberson claimed that someone sprayed racist graffiti on the property, a message that said, “We don’t like your kind.” Two weeks later, Roberson claimed that someone shot into a window at the home, telling police officers he believed it was a racially motivated act.
On the back of all three incidents, CAIR-Houston and the ADL Southwest urged the FBI to investigate the house burning as a hate crime.
But after an extensive investigation led by the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office, a grand jury returned on Monday an indictment against Roberson for first-degree arson.
Prosecutors do not believe that Roberson himself set the fire, but they believe he played a significant role. The alleged motive? Police believe the house was intentionally burned to the ground because Roberson was trying to collect insurance money by fraudulent means.
“He was indicted on allegations he hired someone to set it on fire for insurance fraud purposes,” said Lt. Charles Dougherty of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.
Important to this story is the fact that, about one month before the fire, “San Jacinto County rendered a decree of sale on the home for unpaid taxes,” KTRK reported. Roberson reportedly owed tens of thousands of dollars in back taxes on the home.
Roberson has not yet been arrested, but he has declared his innocence, according to KTRK. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
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