Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Suburban Man Charged with Arson for Allegedly Setting Fire to His Employer's Auto Dealership
CHICAGO — An employee of a Rosemont auto dealership has been charged with arson for allegedly setting a fire that heavily damaged the dealership’s vehicles and office equipment.
BRYANT CAMERON set the fire at Epic Motorsports, 9739 Farragut St. in Rosemont, on the evening of July 24, 2017, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Cameron poured gasoline in the front office, reception and warehouse areas, and lit it on fire with the embers from his cigarette, the complaint states. He then quickly drove away from the scene, according to the complaint.
Fire departments from five different municipalities worked to extinguish the blaze. One firefighter suffered injuries consistent with dehydration, the complaint states. The fire damaged multiple vehicles, tools, office equipment, files and miscellaneous goods, according to the complaint. Cameron, 28, of Broadview, was arrested on July 27, 2017. The complaint charges him with one count of arson. The charge is punishable by a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum of 40 years. A detention hearing is set for Aug. 7, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Mason in Chicago.
The complaint was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Celinez Nunez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Substantial assistance was provided by the Rosemont Public Safety Department; Chicago Police Department’s Bomb and Arson Unit; Chicago Fire Department’s Office of Fire Investigation; and the Broadview Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron R. Bond.
According to the complaint, Cameron’s duties at Epic Motorsports involved cleaning and moving cars, and picking up vehicles from neighboring states. Cameron was the last person to leave the facility on the night of the fire, the complaint states. A court-authorized search of Cameron’s vehicle on July 27, 2017, revealed items that had been reported stolen from Epic Motorsports, the complaint states.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
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