BROOKLYN – The Appellate Division Second Department of State Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of Zef Gjurahsaj, 64, formerly of the Town of Newburgh, who was convicted of torching his restaurant to collect the insurance money.
Gjurashaj and a co-defendant conspired to burn down Andiamo’s Restaurant at 5025 Route 9W in the Town of Newburgh in September 2017.
It was alleged that he knew the business was failing and decided to burn it down for insurance purposes.
He instructed his nephew’s wife on how to start the fire by removing a plug from a valve on a propane line in the kitchen and then lighting a flammable liquid on the floor to ignite the fire.
Gjurashaj was convicted in a jury trial of arson, conspiracy, insurance fraud, and tax fraud as a result and was sentenced to 22 1/3 years to life in prison.
District Attorney David Hoovler said the determination of the appellate court “confirmed what was proven at trial about Zef Gjurahaj – that he was a violent criminal who endangered the lives of not only his own family but responding firefighters all for his own pecuniary gain.”
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