Oakland Man to Stand Trial for Claiming to Be Fire Victim

An Oakland man is set to stand trial for allegedly falsely claiming to be a victim to receive benefits after last year's pipeline explosion in San Bruno's Crestmoor neighborhood.

The preliminary hearing for Deonte Bennett, 27, was held Thursday at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice, and a judge concluded there was enough evidence to have Bennett answer to multiple charges, including commercial burglary, identity theft and perjury.

Bennett and a co-defendant, , 27, of San Francisco were arrested shortly after the Sept. 9, 2010, fire for going to a temporary assistance center and applying for benefits, claiming their property had been destroyed in the blast.

Taylor pleaded no contest in September to falsely claiming to be a victim and was sentenced to nine months in jail.

In all, seven people were arrested on suspicion of fraud in the aftermath of the blast that left eight people dead and 38 homes consumed in the fire. Of those, all except for Bennett have pleaded guilty to the charges they faced.

Bennett remains out on $50,000 bail and is expected to return to court on Dec. 21 for a Superior Court arraignment.