USS Miami Sub Fire Suspect Pleads Guilty to Arson

A Portsmouth man charged with setting fire to the USS Miami nuclear submarine and causing $400 million in damage has pleaded guilty to arson.

According to U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II, Casey James Fury, 24, formerly of Portsmouth, waived indictment earlier today before U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal in Portland and pleaded guilty to two two counts of arson that charged him with setting the Navy submarine on fire on May 23 and June 14.  

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 Portsmouth 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. 

The U.S. Attorney's office said Fury will be sentenced after completion of a pre-sentence report by the U.S. Probation Office.

According to the plea agreement, the parties stipulated that the loss amount was between $200 and $400 million for purposes of calculating the advisory sentencing guideline range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The agreement also states that the stipulated loss amount may not reflect the final cost of repairing the damage done to the USS Miami.

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

"The parties agreed to recommend a federal prison sentence of between 188 and 235 months. This case was investigated by the agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," reads the U.S. Attorney's office press release issued Thursday morning. 

The U.S. Attorney was scheduled to hold a press conference regarding Fury's guilty plea at 12 noon at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland, Maine.