RICHMOND HILL, QUEENS (PIX11) — A father and son from Nassau County are now federally charged for allegedly setting a fire at the Queens store they used to run their printing business.
Narinder Singh, 56, and 29-year-old Jawahar Singh are accused of placing rolls of paper towel on a hotplate and then using a smart plug to remotely turn it on. The fire, which started at 12:30 in the morning on February 18th, burned the Print Shop and nearby stores on 101st Avenue and 116th Street.
In court Thursday afternoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Amzallag said, “It was a crime done out of revenge,” citing the “acrimonious and highly personal” eviction proceedings that resulted in the Singhs getting evicted the same day as the fire.
The building landlord claims the Singhs were squatters relying on a phony lease to wage their court battle.
Bail was set at $100,000 for Jawahar Singh. Narinder Singh is due to be arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court on Friday morning.
Both men are charged with malicious use of fire or explosives to damage or destroy property used in interstate commerce.
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