A Florida man is accused of burning two homes he owns and staging the arsons as anti-Hispanic hate crimes.

According to authorities, property proprietor George Carneiro faked the hate crimes for the insurance coverage cash as a result of he was behind on funds for each properties.

The fires occurred March 13 in Clay Hill, Florida, an unincorporated neighborhood 36 miles southwest of Jacksonville.

Signs on the scene, which had swastikas and messages that mentioned that Hispanics weren't welcome, led the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to look into the blazes as hate crimes.

Video from a close-by Walmart taken on March 12 purportedly exhibits certainly one of Mr. Carneiro’s staff buying gasoline tanks with money. Investigators traced the person depicted again to Mr. Carneiro, and the financial institution data exhibiting he was behind on his funds on the properties.

The video, info from an interview with the worker, the financial institution data, and cellphone data led the sheriff’s workplace to arrest Mr. Carneiro.

Mr. Carneiro has been charged with arson to defraud an insurer and with submitting fraudulent insurance coverage claims associated to arson.

“I have zero tolerance for anyone who comes into our community and uses hate as a cover for their own schemes,” Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook mentioned.

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