George Allen, Conspiring to Set Fires, Vermont 2023

Former Fire Captain Sentenced in Vermont Fire Conspiracy Case

A former fire captain in Vermont has been sentenced to 13 months in jail for conspiring to set fires in the state.

George Allen, a 30-year-old from Wallingford, Vermont, was sentenced to 13 months in jail by Chief Judge Christina Reiss of the United States District Court in Rutland, Vermont, on January (no date given).

Allen was found guilty after a jury trial last July of conspiring with younger members of the Wallingford Volunteer Fire Department to set a series of outdoor fires in Wallingford in early 2008.

The motive behind the fires was the excitement of responding to a fire with the fire department, and the boredom of being on a department with few fire calls.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Reiss found that the offense was 'outrageous' and 'dangerous,' entailing risks of injury to both firefighters and the public, as emergency vehicles traveled the roads.

Allen was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release, perform 75 hours of community service, and pay a $100 assessment.

The U.S. Attorney's Office credited the Vermont State Police Arson Unit, and the U.S. Forest Service with the investigation, and thanked the Wallingford Fire Department for its cooperation.

Allen was represented by attorney Mark Furlan of Rutland, who asked for a probationary sentence, urging that no one had been hurt.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/fire-captain-jailed-conspiring-set-fires