West Virginia Man Convicted of Burning Duplex for Insurance

A federal jury has convicted a Logan, W.Va., man of burning his duplex to collect insurance money.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said Thursday that 58-year-old Michael L. White of Chapmanville was found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson, arson and accessory after the fact. White faces a maximum of 271/2 years in prison when he is sentenced in August.

White was accused of conspiring with Kimberly Dawn Kinder and her now-deceased husband to set fire to a rental unit he owned in Boone County. Evidence showed that after the October 2009 fire, White collected more than $80,000 in insurance claims and paid the Kinder about $2,000.

The 46-year-old Kimberly Kinder, also from Chapmanville, has pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and faces up to five years in prison.