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National Tree Day Planet Ark Home
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Guilty plea in Phoenix eco-arsonist case |
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| USA: November 9, 2001 | ||
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PHOENIX - An alleged eco-arsonist pleaded guilty this week to torching a string of luxury homes under construction near mountain preserves in an apparent attempt to save the desert.
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Mark Warren Sands, 50, made the plea at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Phoenix to eight counts of extortion and one count of using a fire to commit a felony as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. Sands faces 15 to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in February and also must pay an estimated $3.1 million for damage caused when he set eight fires in Phoenix and Scottsdale beginning in April 2000. He had faced 23 counts of arson and extortion before the plea deal was reached. Sands told the court he was sorry for his actions and that he did not want to cause anyone harm as a result of setting fire to the buildings. Sands, a marketing consultant, was arrested and his house searched in April after being spotted writing the trademark signature of the alleged arsonist " C.S.P." on a construction sign at a home being built near the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The initials stood for "Coalition to Save the Preserves." He was indicted in June in a case that relied heavily on conversations he had with a friend during a hiking trip. The friend was wired for sound by federal agents.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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