House fires staged as anti-Hispanic hate crimes by debt-ridden developer: report

House fires that destroyed two Florida properties were staged to look like anti-Hispanic hate crimes by a builder who fell behind on payments, Tribune Media Services reported.

George Carneiro has been charged with “burning to defraud the insurer and false and fraudulent insurance claims related to arson."

The fires occurred on March 13 in the same Clay Hill neighborhood, near Jacksonville. An investigation led to Carneiro after a video was discovered that showed one of his employees purchasing fuel tanks with cash at a Walmart, Tribune reported.

“This video evidence was key in establishing a connection between Carneiro and the arson. Carneiro owned the homes that were burned and bank records revealed that he was significantly behind on his payments. ...The fires were originally staged with false evidence of a hate crime to conceal the true motive," the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The fires were staged with fake evidence, such as hand-scrawled signs that opposed Latino families from moving into the area.