Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., announced that Ramiz Duka, 62, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge to six years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $6,158,686.84 in restitution for conspiring to commit the arson of a Bucks County warehouse.
On October 30, 2024, Duka was convicted at trial of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce.
The facts at trial established that Duka recruited two men into a conspiracy to set fire to a warehouse located at 1388 Bridgewater Road in Bensalem, Pa., paying them $15,000 to do so. Over the course of several weeks, the three co-conspirators met and planned the arson.
On December 10, 2022, one of the men recruited to the conspiracy by Duka set fire to the building. During fire suppression operations, one firefighter was seriously injured when a ladder collapsed. Damages from the fire totaled over $6 million.
“Ramiz Duka orchestrated this arson plot and set it in motion with no regard for the unpredictable nature of fire, the potential for the flames to spread, or the risks facing first responders reporting to fight the blaze,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thayer. “Arson endangers lives and communities, and, as this case shows, our office will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those reckless enough to commit such a serious crime.”
“Arson is a dangerous crime with dire consequences, as in this case, seriously injuring a firefighter who was serving to protect his community” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “I thank the Bensalem Township Police and Fire-Rescue, U.S. Attorney’s Office and other partners who are helping the ATF-led Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force seek justice and keep our communities safe from dangerous arsonists like Ramiz Duka.”
The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bensalem Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Reinitz. Special thanks to the Bensalem Township Fire Rescue and the volunteer firefighter companies in and around Bensalem that responded to the fire.