Judge Hands Down 15 Year Sentence for Deadly Arson

Former gas station owner, James Anthony Kurtenbach, was sentenced this week for his connection to a 2008 explosion that killed one of his long time employees.

According to Sign on San Diego News, Kurtenbach, 49, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison for hiring his employee, 24 year-old Joseph Nesheiwat, to burn down his luxury home to which he owed $50,000 in back property taxes.

“Deputy District Attorney Fiona Khalil contended in trial that Kurtenbach plotted to burn down the house at Mount Woodson Drive to collect $915,000 in insurance proceeds. She said the defendant doused the house with gasoline and then tasked Nesheiwat with setting the fire, knowing he would likely be killed in the resulting explosion.”

In October, The Fraud Report reported that Kurtenbach was dismissed of any second-degree murder charges in the case due to the jury’s inability to come to a unanimous verdict. 

Once the murder charges were dropped, life behind bars was no longer on the table. However, Kurtenbach did receive a lengthy 15-year sentence for his plot which  claimed the life of a young individual,  and caused more than $120,000 in property damage to his neighbors. 

The judge later announced that Kurenbach will also be likely forced to pay restitution for any additional damage caused from the explosion.