One man's grudge against a major trucking company has landed him in pridon for 10 years.
A Michigan man was sentenced Jan. 29 to 120 months in federal prison for maliciously setting fires to three semi-trailers belonging to a commercial trucking company, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Viorel Pricop, 67, of Allen Park, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker.
At the conclusion of an eight-day trial, a jury found Pricop guilty of three counts of arson of a vehicle or property in interstate commerce on Aug. 21, 2024.
“This defendant left a nation-wide path of destruction that threatened lives, property, and critical infrastructure,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Thanks to the dedicated work of federal prosecutors and ATF agents, the DoJ brought him to justice. This case is proof that the federal government will bring its full weight to bear in order to stop dangerous and destructive criminals.”
Pricop set fire to three semi-truck trailers belonging to Swift Transportation, a Phoenix-based commercial trucking company, as part of a larger pattern of arsons targeting Swift. Two of the arsons occurred in Willcox, Arizona, and one occurred in Holbrook, Arizona.
Pricop set at least 16 additional Swift Transportation semi-trailers on fire in multiple states between October 2021 and September 2022. These arsons occurred at locations spanning from Barstow, California, to McCalla, Alabama, with most occurring along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.
Federal criminal charges associated with some of the fires were filed against Pricop in several districts and were the basis of a 2024 criminal trial in the Central District of California, where Pricop was found guilty of six arsons.
Pricop was convicted in 2018 in the Eastern District of Michigan for a tax offense and transportation of stolen goods, charges stemming from an investigation conducted by Swift. Pricop was sentenced to time served in that case, amounting to approximately 26 months’ imprisonment. His term of supervised release ended in June 2019, about two years before the arsons in this case began.
