May 13th, 2011
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Author: Federal prosecutors are alleging that Feras Rahman, the 27-year-old Milwaukee man charged with starting the massive Pizza Man fire, lied to federal investigators shortly after the fire, telling them he had recently paid a contractor $170,000 to remodel his restaurant, also destroyed in the blaze, when he had only received an estimate.
pizza man fire (photo by Adrian Palomo)
In a federal indictment handed down earlier this week, the prosecutors allege Rahman started the Jan. 19, 2010 fire that consumed the building at 1800 East North Avenue on the city’s East Side. It destroyed the Pizza Man and Grecian Delight restaurants, upstairs apartments, the neighboring Cush Lounge and Rahman’s restaurant, the Black and White Café.
Rahman is charged with arson and defrauding his insurance company, Michigan-based Auto-Owner’s Insurance Company. The indictment alleges he bought a policy through the company’s Appleton office in 2009 worth up to $135,000 “in the event of a loss caused by fire.”
It also alleges Rahman told federal investigators on Jan. 25 “that he spent approximately $170,000 remodeling the Black and White Café, and that most of the work was performed by a particular individual, when he knew that this individual only provided a quote for the remodel but never performed any work.”
Rahman is also charged with lying about a computer he used containing the café’s business records. He claimed it “was inside the café at the time of the fire,” the indictment says, “when he knew that he removed the computer from the premises prior to the fire.”
He’s scheduled to appear in federal court in Milwaukee for an arraignment on May 19.
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