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Deli Owner Convicted in Arson Plot
A Bronx deli owner, Redhwan Saleh, and his co-conspirator, Antoine Bostick, have been found guilty of conspiring to set fire to a rival deli in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx.
The verdict was handed down by a Manhattan jury after a four-day trial in federal court. Saleh, 37, of Brooklyn, was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and arson, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Bostick, 32, of New Rochelle, was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He was found not guilty of arson.
The arson plot was uncovered after a fire broke out at the rival deli on September 11, 2016, a few weeks before it was set to open. The fire caused extensive damage to the deli and a neighboring store, and its opening was substantially delayed.
The investigation was led by the Strategic Explosive and Arson Response Task Force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
Saleh and Bostick are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge William H. Pauley III on March 15, 2019. Two other individuals, Arthur Cherry and Richard Sanchez, have already pleaded guilty in connection with the case.
The conviction is a major victory for law enforcement and a reminder of the consequences of playing with fire. ‘A unanimous Manhattan jury has found Redhwan Saleh guilty of planning and paying three men to execute the arson of a competing deli in his Riverdale neighborhood,’ said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. ‘Saleh and his co-defendant, Antoine Bostick, have found out the hard way that playing with fire usually leads to getting burned, and possibly prison.’
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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