"Insurance arson" is the informal term for a fire allegedly set by the owner of insured property to collect on a policy. In Rhode Island these cases are aggressively prosecuted by both the Attorney General's office and, in some cases, federal prosecutors. Evidence typically includes financial records showing the owner was in trouble, policy records showing recent changes or increases in coverage, scene evidence suggesting multiple points of origin or accelerants, and witness statements from neighbors, tenants, family, or employees. Insurance-company Special Investigations Units (SIUs) partner directly with the state fire marshal and feed their findings into the criminal investigation. If convicted, you face the arson penalties plus stacked insurance-fraud felonies plus full restitution to the insurer. These are winnable cases with the right defense - we have successfully attacked insurance-fire allegations by exposing alternate causes, challenging junk-science fire opinions, and showing innocent explanations for the financial "motive."