BUFFALO (NEW YORK) FIRE LIEUTENANT ROBERT RUIZ decided to take an early retirment last year following his arrest on an arson charge. Ruiz possessed a leased auto that was found burning with the back window broken out last May. When he filed an insurance claim on the vehicle, he was investigated and subsequently arrested.
WIVB-TV image
The city prosecutor said that Ruiz was trying to save on financial penalties he would have incurred because of excessive mileage on the leased vehicle. He later admittedthat he poured gasoline in the back seat after breaking the rear windows, causing about $2,300 damage to the 2008 sedan. On December 4 he pleaded guilty to felony arson and insurance fraud, charges that threatened him with up to four years in prison.
Ruiz appeared in court yesterday for his sentencing and he recieved five years probation. WIVB-TV Ch. 4 was there and filed this video report:
Ruiz had been in the FD for 24 years.
Also on FireGeezer…
- 6-Alarm Apartment Arson in Massachusetts – October 17, 2011
- 11-yr.-old Arrested on Arson Charge – June 6, 2011
- Arsonist Sentenced Ten Years Later – October 17, 2011
- Downtown Arsonist Strikes Twice Overnight in Tulsa – September 12, 2011
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