On March 6, 2009, Santa Monica Firefighters were called to put out a vehicle engulfed in flames on 9 ^th Street.  Once the flames had been extinguished, officers found a gas can in the car and a lighter just a few yards away and concluded the incident to be an act of arson. 

In May of 2009, detectives arrested the vehicle’s owner, Sidney Porter of Santa Monica, due to fingerprints found at the scene and cell phone records revealing he was just leaving Santa Monica at the time the fire.  The cell phone records proved that Porter’s statements regarding his location at the time of the fire were false.  Sidney Porter had set his2006 Dodge Magnum on fire in an attempt to commit insurance fraud.  In January of 2010, Porter was convicted on one count of  arson and sentenced to three years in state prison.

If you, or someone you know has been charged with  Arson or Insurance Fraud,  contact Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Robert M. Bernstein for a free consultation today.