Man pleads guilty to faking 'BLM' vandalism over a Trump flag, setting own camper on fire

A Minnesota man who said his camper was lit on fire because it had a Trump 2020 flag on it pleaded guilty to starting the fire himself and then filing fraudulent insurance claims Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced.

In September 2020, Denis Vladmirovich Molla falsely reported to police that someone set his camper ablaze and vandalized his garage door with graffiti that said “BLM,” “Biden 2020” and an anarchy symbol associated with Antifa, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said in a news release. Molla, 30, told authorities he saw three unknown males near his property when he heard an explosion.

Molla and his wife, Deana, previously told the Star Tribune that they were asleep in their home with their 2-year-old son and their 5-month-old daughter at the time of the incident. Emergency crews also helped rescue three dogs and four puppies from the home amid the fire, which burned down a detached garage and totaled three vehicles.

"In reality, Molla started his own property on fire and spray painted the graffiti on his own garage," the news release said.

Molla then submitted multiple insurance claims totaling $300,000 for damages caused to his property by the camper fire and vandalism. Some claims were denied, the U.S. Department of Justice said. He received $61,000 from his insurance company, and threatened to report the company to authorities when it denied some of his claims, the DOJ said.

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He also deposited more than $17,000 into his bank account from a GoFundMe account called “Patriots for the Mollas,” according to the indictment filed in July. Molla also permitted others to set up another account to collect donations on his behalf, the DOJ said.

“The defendant provided written comments on both GoFundMe accounts documenting the property losses that he suffered, thanking the numerous donors,” the plea agreement filed Tuesday read.

Molla pleaded guilty to one of two counts of wire fraud. The DOJ agreed to drop the second charge as part of the plea deal, according to court documents. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to the plea agreement. He also owes up $22,000 to GoFundMe donors, per the plea agreement.

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"Mr. Molla was obviously remorseful during his federal plea hearing yesterday. He is a wonderful husband and father who made a mistake that he very much regrets," Molla's lawyer Ryan Garry, wrote in a statement to USA TODAY. "He has accepted full responsibility for his actions and is sorry for what happened."

Contributing: Marina Pitofksy, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota man pleads guilty to fraud, faking 'BLM,' 'Antifa' vandalism