ALBANY, N.Y. -- A local property owner who apparently fell behind on mortgage payments for an Albany apartment building he owns is facing charges on allegations he set fire to the building.
Kerry Bennett, 28, of Cohoes is charged with arson and insurance fraud in connection with the fire on Sherman Avenue in Albany on June 7.
Bennett is accused of setting the fire and trying to defraud State Farm Insurance Company out of more than $50,000.
A local property owner who apparently fell behind on mortgage payments for an Albany apartment building he owns is facing charges on allegations he set fire to the building.
Investigators said that video from a security camera on a nearby building showed that Bennett was the last person known to be in the house before the fire started. Tenants living in one second floor apartment left the building earlier in the day, and the other three apartments were unoccupied.
The fire engulfed the entire top floor of the building and damaged an adjacent home, which is also owned by Bennett.
If convicted, Bennett could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.