CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A St. Albans man has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for committing wire fraud in connection with an arson scheme and embezzlement from a local volunteer fire department.
Donald A. Ennis, 43, received a sentence of two years and nine months in prison on Wednesday.
Following his incarceration, he will serve three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $513,072.28 in restitution.
Ennis pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors said he obtained $347,237.70 from an insurance company by filing false claims after deliberately setting fire to his own home.
Additionally, while working as finance and operations manager for a volunteer fire department in the Tornado area of Kanawha County, Ennis stole $153,728 by misusing the department’s debit card.
According to court documents, Ennis purchased a home in St. Albans in 2018 and later secured a residential insurance policy valued at over $280,000. The policy excluded coverage for intentional acts of damage.
On February 15, 2021, Ennis set the house on fire and falsely reported it as an accident. Between February 21 and March 19, 2021, he submitted a series of electronic insurance claims to an Indiana-based company and received over $347,000.
Separately, Ennis admitted to misusing funds from the fire department’s bank account between March 2020 and September 2022. He used the department’s debit card for unauthorized ATM withdrawals and online purchases.
“This prosecution sends an important and firm message that those who commit arson for financial gain will be prosecuted and brought to justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston.
“The fire put others at risk – first responders as well as neighbors. The defendant also deprived the volunteer fire department of vital funds.”
The case was investigated by the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office Public Integrity and Fraud Unit, the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner-Special Investigations Division, and the FBI.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin handed down the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Goes prosecuted the case.
