MA Man Guilty In Pizza Shop Arson Case Fraud

WESTFIELD, MA—A citizen of Iraq whose last known address was in Westfield pleaded guilty to an incident related to setting a fire in his own pizza place in Connecticut.

Mustafa Zabana, 32, pleaded guilty this week before a judge in New Haven to a fraud offense related to an arson at his Connecticut restaurant, announced John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, on Friday.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Zabana was the majority owner of Zabana, Inc., doing business as Bruno’s Pizza, a restaurant located at 634 Enfield St. in Enfield, Connecticut. On June 3, 2016 around 10:42 p.m., Zabana intentionally set a fire in Bruno’s Pizza, causing damage to the restaurant and its contents, as well as other commercial space in the mall where the restaurant was located, said the U.S. attorney. Firefighters knocked down the fire.

Zabana filed an insurance claim with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company after the fire. Liberty Mutual sent Zabana an advance check of $5,000 for claimed loss, after which he continued to pursue additional payments from Liberty Mutual through at least December 2016.

Zabana pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for June 29. Zabana has been detained since his arrest on March 23, 2017.

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