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Lee’s Summit Arsonist Fulton Gets 15+ Years
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Wandale J. Fulton, 41, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is headed to federal prison for over 15 years after being convicted of orchestrating a brazen arson and insurance fraud scheme, a separate bank fraud conspiracy, and illegally possessing firearms. U.S. District Judge Greg Kays handed down the 15-year, 10-month sentence today, along with an order for Fulton to pay $380,985 in restitution to his victims.
Fulton pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a laundry list of charges: one count of conspiracy to use fire in the commission of wire and mail fraud, one count of arson in the commission of a federal felony, one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. The scheme ran from 2013 through 2019, with Fulton and his crew purchasing homes in Kansas City, insuring them, and then torching or vandalizing them to collect insurance payouts. These weren’t quiet, contained incidents; court documents detail homes engulfed in flames in densely populated neighborhoods, putting lives at risk.
The arson spree resulted in the total destruction of three homes and significant damage to Fulton’s own residence – all for the sake of filing false insurance claims. Fulton’s operation aimed for an estimated $740,000 in fraudulent payouts, ultimately resulting in $336,756 paid out by insurance companies. He didn’t work alone. Fulton relied on accomplices to act as straw buyers, submit falsified documents, and, crucially, set the fires. Four co-conspirators have already been sentenced for their involvement.
But the fraud didn’t stop at insurance. Fulton also ran a separate bank fraud scheme targeting Heartland Community Credit Union in 2018. The credit union approved approximately $121,500 in fraudulent car loans based on bogus applications. The applicants consistently defaulted, and Heartland couldn’t locate them. The loans were all ostensibly for vehicles purchased from C.E. Sales, a company Fulton controlled. Fulton funneled the loan checks directly into his own bank account, leaving Heartland holding the bag.
When law enforcement came knocking, Fulton had already amassed a cache of illegal firearms. A search of his residence on March 26, 2019, uncovered a Taurus .40-caliber handgun, an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 semi-automatic rifle, and a Taurus 9mm pistol. He used an accomplice to purchase at least two of the weapons, attempting to conceal his involvement. As a convicted felon – Fulton previously served time for manslaughter – possessing these firearms was a clear violation of federal law.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brent Venneman and Nick Heberle prosecuted the case, with significant investigative work from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Lee’s Summit and Kansas City Police Departments, the Kansas City Fire Department, and the Overland Park, Kansas Police Department. Fulton’s days of burning down houses and defrauding banks are over, and he’ll have plenty of time to reflect on his choices from behind bars.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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