Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jodarin Marquis Whitfield (27, Sarasota), Herbert Adelphus Pinckney (39, Avon Park), and Rashica Shaguana Ford (39, Sarasota) with conspiracy and arson. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, on March 11, 2015, Whitfield, Pinckney, and Ford set fire to a residential dwelling in Bradenton. At the time of the arson, three adults and five children occupied the home.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the State Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations, the Bradenton Police Department, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.

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