Hagerstown Man Convicted of Arson

BALTIMORE, MD ( January 15, 2010) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Ryan Blumenauer, 22, of Hagerstown, plead guilty to felony arson in the Circuit Court for Washington County. Judge Daniel P. Dwyer sentenced Blumenauer to five years in jail, all suspended, three years probation and 100 hours of community service.

On October 20, 2008, there was a fire at Blumenauer’s home in Hagerstown. An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office observed two points of origin and concluded the fire had been set deliberately. While area volunteer fire departments were fighting the blaze, Blumenauer contacted the insurance company covering his house and initiated a fraudulent claim for $75,000 in damages. No people or animals were injured in the fire.

The conviction follows a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Maryland State Police and the Office of the Attorney General.