GOSHEN – An investigation of nearly 51 months, beginning in September 2017, has resulted in first-degree arson charges for 59-year-old Zef Gjurashaj and 37-year-old Marina Gjurashaj for the burning of the Andiamo Restaurant.
Orange County District Attorney Dave Hoovler announced the charges following the November 27 arrests of the pair for the intentional burning of the Town of Newburgh Andiamo restaurant more than four years ago.
“The complexity of the case, the amount of documents reviewed just to put the case together,” said Hoovler, “there were over 4,000 pages of just insurance claims and insurance paperwork that had to be done.”
If convicted the pair, an uncle and his niece, face a sentence of up to 25 years in prison for the arson charge after they tried to collect $1.6 million in insurance money.
The investigation slowed by the Covid pandemic, but Hoovler said there were some early clues, in which he would not disclose, that an arson had occurred.
“There are generally some early warning signs that most of all fire chiefs are aware of when they get to a scene,” he said.
The pair is expected to be back in court within a few weeks to face their charges.
