Texas man sentenced to 7 years for arson at medical center under construction
A Texas man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for arranging a fire that destroyed a medical center under construction and injured a firefighter, according to federal prosecutors. The arson followed a dispute with landlords who owned both properties.
Truong Quoc Duong, 55, was sentenced on Tuesday to 84 months in prison, five years of supervised release and $3,581,983.67 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. He pleaded guilty on March 3 to conspiring to maliciously use explosive materials resulting in personal injury.
The fire destroyed a three-story medical center on Interstate 45 North in Spring, north of Houston, on November 21, 2022.
The man owned a pet store in a neighboring strip center and rented the space from the medical center’s owners. Authorities found that he had stopped paying rent and abandoned the store before his lease expired.
The landlords sued him, and birds left inside the store died as a result of the eviction, according to information presented in court. The fire occurred several days later.
On the day of the fire, he drove Jason Rogers, 41, of Houston, to the medical center and dropped him off nearby. The accomplice entered with a full backpack and emerged several minutes later without it. The two then met at a nearby restaurant.
The fire broke out after both men left the area. Firefighters spent several hours extinguishing the blaze, which destroyed the building and damaged a neighboring car wash. A firefighter suffered burns, a fire truck was damaged and property losses exceeded $1 million.
Authorities later arrested the pet store owner with two-liter Dr Pepper bottles filled with gasoline and fitted with an ignition system he had designed. Investigators determined that the devices matched those used to start the fire.
The court questioned his explanation for possessing five bottles of flammable liquid, five grenade hulls, 188 firearm magazines, 14 silencers, 351 rounds of ammunition and 87 firearms, including two short-barreled rifles, when he was arrested.
His accomplice has also been sentenced for his role.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
