Jose Valdovinos, Federal Arson Charge, Illinois 2020

A shocking act of destruction unfolded in Chicago last year, and now a man is facing the consequences. Jose Valdovinos, 32, of Cicero, Ill., has been arrested on a federal arson charge for allegedly setting fire to a building at 4000 West 59th Street in Chicago on June 1, 2020.

An indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago accuses Valdovinos of maliciously damaging and destroying the building.

Valdovinos was arrested Monday and is set to appear in federal court for a detention hearing on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives in Chicago; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kavitha J. Babu.

“Anyone committing crimes during the course of civil unrest should know that federal law enforcement will use every available tool to hold them accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

The arson charge is punishable by a minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.