Houston man sentenced to federal prison for $3.5M Spring medical center arson
HOUSTON - A 55-year-old man has been sentenced to federal prison after planning a multi-million dollar arson scheme that destroyed a local medical facility and injured a firefighter.
Man convicted of arson sentenced
Truong Quoc Duong was sent to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to use explosive materials. His sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. Duong was also ordered to pay $3,581,983.67 in restitution for his role in the arson.
Duong will remain in custody while awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The backstory:
On Nov. 21, 2022, Duong drove his co-conspirator Jason Rogers to a three-story medical center under construction off I-45 North in Spring. Duong dropped Rogers off nearby, who went into the building wearing a heavy backpack and came out minutes later without it.
Both men met up at a local restaurant after leaving the scene. Shortly after, the building erupted into flames.
The U.S. Attorney's Office mentions how firefighters worked for hours to extinguish the blaze. A firefighter suffered burns while battling the flames, and the damages to the building and fire truck all exceeded $1 million.
Duong was later arrested and found with 2-liter Dr Pepper bottles full of gasoline and custom ignition devices matching the bomb components used at the medical center.
Duong previously owned a pet store in a strip center next door to the medical facility, renting the space from the same property owners.
According to court details, Duong stopped paying rent and abandoned the pet shop before his lease was up. The landlords sued him and the birds left inside the shop died as a result of the eviction. The medical center fire happened just days later.
What happened in court?
During the sentencing hearing, the court noted the financial impact on the property owners and their employees, as well as injuries to a responding firefighter and damage to a fire truck, neighboring car wash, and the main structure.
Authorities say Duong was also in possession of 87 firearms, 351 rounds of ammunition, 188 magazines, 14 silencers, and five grenade hulls when he was arrested.
Co-conspirator Jason Vernon Rogers, 41, was previously arrested and sentenced for his involvement in the arson.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Montgomery County Fire Department.