Viorel Pricop, Arson of Vehicle or Property in Interstate Commerce, California 2022

A 66-year-old man from Michigan has been found guilty of maliciously setting six semi-trailers on fire in California and other states.

Viorel Pricop, 66, of Allen Park, Michigan, was found guilty of six counts of arson of vehicle or property in interstate commerce. Pricop has been in federal custody since October 2022.

The arsons occurred between December 2021 and September 2022, with four of the incidents happening in San Bernardino County and two in Riverside County. The Swift-owned trailers were parked at or near a truck stop when a fire occurred on the trailer portion of the vehicle, mainly on or near the trailer tires.

Pricop set fire to at least 18 additional Swift Transportation semi-trailers in other states from June 2020 to March 2022, according to an affidavit previously filed in this case. These incidents occurred at locations spanning from Barstow, California to McCalla, Alabama, with most incidents occurring along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.

Federal criminal charges associated with some of these fires were filed against Pricop in the District of New Mexico and the District of Arizona.

“This defendant went on a rampage of retaliation against a victim of his last crime,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Rather than take advantage of the second chance offered to him, he chose an incredibly reckless and dangerous path. We will not accept arson and other violent crime on our streets, and I am grateful that this defendant will now be held to account.”

Pricop's conviction is a result of a 16-day trial, where evidence presented showed that he used a navigation device installed in a commercial tractor-style truck to connect to cell towers near many of the fires at or around the times of the fires. Law enforcement also identified Pricop's cellphone and obtained historical cellular data and real-time location information for his cellphone, which showed that his cellphone was present in the general area of all California fires, as well as the 18 additional fires across the country.

Pricop's involvement in the series of arsons was also confirmed through search warrants executed on his tractor-trailer, personal vehicle, and residence in September 2022, yielding additional evidence corroborating his involvement.

Viorel Pricop, City: Allen Park, State: Michigan, Charges: Six counts of arson of vehicle or property in interstate commerce. Date: December 2021 to September 2022, Sentence: Not specified, Current Status: In federal custody since October 2022.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/detroit-area-man-found-guilty-maliciously-setting-fires-truck-trailers-major