Sub Fire Suspect to be Sentenced

A former Portsmouth man who pleaded guilty to setting two fires that caused millions of dollars in damage to the USS Miami is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

According to U.S. District Court officials in Portland, Maine, Casey James Fury, 24, is scheduled to be sentenced for two counts of arson on Friday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Fury pleaded guilty to those two charges in November.

Fury was employed as a painter and sandblaster at the shipyard until his arrest on July 23 and held at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine without bail. Navy investigators said that Fury told them he set both fires to get out of work early.

The USS Miami fire raged for 12 hours and dozens of Portsmouth area firefighters battled the blaze. Five firefighters were injured, but no one was killed.

Fury previously admitted in open court that he willfully and maliciously set a fire on the Miami on May 23. He also acknowledged that he set fire to the USS Miami in the dry dock area on June 16.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, the first arson charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The second arson charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000 or the cost of repairing or replacing any property damage, whichever is greater.

Fury could be sentenced from anywhere to 15 to 20 years in federal prison, according to federal prosecutors.