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Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Insurance Fraud
A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a $235,000 arson and insurance fraud conspiracy.
Joseph Levi Little, 43, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to participating in a conspiracy to commit arson and mail fraud.
This is the third time a defendant has pleaded guilty to their role in the scheme. Tina L. Shonk, 36, of Independence, Mo., was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison without parole. Roy Thieman, 32, of Kansas City, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Shonk and Thieman to pay $242,717 in restitution to their victims and to forfeit to the government $62,364.
Shonk admitted that she led the arson and insurance fraud conspiracy in 2014. She obtained renter’s insurance on a house she rented in the 3500 block of Garfield in Kansas City, Mo., then burned the house with the help of co-conspirators, and made false claims on the insured property. Conspirators also made plans to burn another house.
On April 4, 2014, Shonk, Little, and Thieman set fire to the house by covering a space heater with a blanket and setting fire to the blanket, and then leaving the house. The Kansas City Fire Department extinguished the fire, but the house was a total loss.
After the fire, Shonk submitted fraudulent personal property claims totaling $112,789, although several witnesses and Shonk’s landlord estimated Shonk’s property to be valued at only approximately $500. The insurance company paid Shonk $57,364; she paid Little $4,000 and Thieman $2,500.
The owner of the house had an insurance policy that paid out a total of $173,100.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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