The owner of a popular Town of Newburgh restaurant will likely spend the rest of his life in the slammer after scheming to burn down his restaurant for profit.
In 2017, firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at the former Andiamo’s Restaurant on Route 9W in the Town of Newburgh. The popular Italian restaurant was located just north of the Alexis Diner.
In September of 2022, Zef Gjurashaj, age 60, was convicted of plotting with a family member to burning down the popular restaurant to collect insurance money. The family member successfully burned down the restaurant and then snitched on Gjurashaj. He was originally scheduled to be sentenced during Christmas week of 2022, but the sentencing was delayed.
Today in Orange County Court, Gjurashaj was handed a sentence of 22 1/3 years to life in the state penitentiary following his conviction of Arson in the 1st degree, Conspiracy in the 2nd degree, two counts of Reckless Endangerment in the 1st degree, Insurance Fraud in the 2nd degree, and Tax Fraud in the 5th degree.
Prior to the trial, Gjurashaj’s co-defendant, who is the wife of Gjurashaj’s nephew, pled guilty to her roles. Marina Gjurashaj, age 38 of Yonkers, pled guilty to Arson in the 3rd degree and Conspiracy in the 4th degree. As part of her plea agreement, she testified against Zef Gjurashaj.
The prosecution argued that Zef Gjurashaj exploited Marina Gjurashaj’s immigration status and her history as a domestic violence victim in order to induce her to help commit the arson.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that the defendants conspired with each other to intentionally burn down Andiamo’s Restaurant. Zef Gjurashaj reportedly knew that the business was in a steep financial decline and decided to burn the business for insurance purposes. He instructed Marina Gjurashaj how to start the fire and removed a plug from a propane line in the kitchen, which allowed for the free flow of propane into the room once the valve was turned.
The investigation into the fire revealed that Marina Gjurashaj intentionally set fire to the building at the direction of Zef Gjurashaj for the financial benefit of her “uncle” by spraying an ignitable liquid on the floor of the kitchen, opening the valve to the propane line, and lighting the liquid. The subsequent fire was of such ferocity that in addition to decimating the building, it put the first responding firefighters, as well as Zef’s wife, who was present at the time of the fire, at grave risk of death.
Orange District Attorney Hoovler thanked all the state, local and federal law enforcement officials who aided in the investigation and eventual apprehension of the defendants including the Town of Newburgh Police, who were assisted in the investigation of the fire by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New York State Department of Financial Services, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Hoovler further acknowledged the efforts of the Cronomer Valley Fire Department, the Winona Lake Fire Department, the Westchester County Police Department, the New York State Forensic Investigation Center, and Sterling Insurance Company, throughout the course of the investigation.
“This fire, which was set solely for the selfish financial gain of the defendant, created an extremely dangerous situation for first responders who valiantly fought the fire as well as to the defendant’s wife,” said Hoovler. “Arson for profit is, by its nature, an incredibly challenging crime to prosecute because of the complexity of the evidence as well as because, as in this case, the perpetrator often intentionally attempts to destroy any link between themselves and the crime. The utter disregard for human life and property exhibited in this case is appalling. I thank all the myriad law enforcement agencies for their cooperation and ceaseless work on this case.”
Hoovler particularly commended Fire Investigator Vincent Spampinato of the New York State Department of Financial Services who worked on the case. Spampinato was a detective with the Town of Newburgh Police Department at the time of the fire and continued his investigation while taking on his new career.
“The tenacity of these investigators from multiple agencies resulted in the just result obtained in this case,” Hoovler said.
James Liscinsky, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of ATF NY Field Division, added, “I commend the work of our investigative partners with the Town of Newburgh Fire Investigation Unit, the Town of Newburgh Police, the Westchester County Police Arson K9 Unit, and the NYS Department of Financial Services – Fraud Bureau Arson Unit. I’m proud of ATF’s Forensic Auditor, Certified Fire Investigator and Fire Research Lab for the instrumental support and expertise they provided. Investigative successes like this are a testament to the interagency cooperation united in the common goal of keeping our communities safe.”
