Southwest Indiana Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Arson Scam

A federal judge has sentenced an Evansville, Ind., man to three years in prison for helping a Kentucky woman burn down her home in an effort to claim insurance money.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports 39-year-old Leslie Vashaun White was sentenced Monday in Evansville after pleading guilty to a charge of knowingly conspiring to use fire to commit wire fraud.

A federal grand jury indicted White and Lori Hargis of Henderson, Ky., last year for conspiring to set a December 2007 fire that destroyed her rural Henderson County house to collect insurance money.

Hargis’ $866,000 insurance claim for her home and its contents remains in litigation. She is awaiting sentencing April 9 after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to use fire to commit wire fraud.