A federal jury has convicted Viorel Pricop, 66, of Allen Park, Michigan, on three counts of arson involving vehicles or property in interstate commerce. Pricop was found guilty last week after an eight-day trial in Tucson, Arizona. He has been held in federal custody since October 2022.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Pricop set fire to three semi-truck trailers owned by Swift Transportation, a commercial trucking company based in Phoenix. The incidents took place at truck stops in Willcox and Holbrook, Arizona. In each case, fires were started on or near the trailer tires.
Further evidence indicated that Pricop was involved in setting at least 16 additional Swift Transportation trailers on fire across several states between October 2021 and September 2022. These incidents occurred from Barstow, California to McCalla, Alabama, with most along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40. Federal charges related to some of these fires led to a separate criminal trial in the Central District of California in 2024, where Pricop was also found guilty of six arsons.
Cellular data analysis revealed that a device used by Pricop for navigation connected to cell towers near the locations and times of the fires. His cellphone was also detected near all three Arizona arson sites.
Investigators found items such as a gas torch, lighters, and fuel-soaked rags inside Pricop’s vehicle.
United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker has scheduled sentencing for November 13, 2025. Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum possible sentence of twenty years.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Albuquerque Field Office led the investigation with support from other ATF divisions and laboratories. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.
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