A Minnesota man who claimed Antifa set fire to his camper during the political unrest of 2020 because he had displayed a Trump campaign flag admitted to staging the event and committing insurance fraud, the Justice Department announced this week.
30-year-old Denis Molla of Minneapolis suburb Brooklyn Center was indicted by a federal grand jury in July and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after being accused of defrauding and attempting to defraud an insurance agency of $300,000 following the incident. Molla also scammed people on GoFundMe for about $17,000. Trump supporters are more likely to contribute to a GoFundMe out of spite than true sympathy, and this story hit their grievance centers in all the sweet spots.
In September 2020, Molla had “falsely reported to law enforcement that someone had lit his camper on fire and that three unknown males were near his home when he heard an explosion,” according to a DOJ news release. The Justice Department said Molla claimed his property was vandalized with graffiti referencing “Biden 2020,” Black Lives Matter, and Antifa.
Molla lied to local news outlet WCCO shortly after the fire, saying that someone set the blaze in response to Trump 2020 flags he had put in his yard. “These kind of stuff should not happen, especially over beliefs of some sort,” he told WCCO.
Molla's attorney Ryan Garry tried to elicit sympathy for this client, saying, “Mr. Molla was obviously remorseful during his federal plea hearing. Mr. Molla is a wonderful husband and father who made a mistake that he sincerely regrets. Unlike many others, he has accepted full responsibility for his actions and is sorry for what happened.” Sorry that he got caught, most likely! Federal guidelines call for Molla to receive a sentence of up to 51 months, plus a fine and restitution.
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