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Brooklyn Center man sentenced for insurance fraud in hoax political attack

Federal prosecutors said Denis Molla falsely claimed his camper was set on fire and his garage vandalized with "Biden 2020" and "BLM" graffiti.

MINNEAPOLIS — A Brooklyn Center man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in connection to an arson and vandalism attack that was later revealed to be a hoax.

Denis Molla originally claimed to be the target of a politically-motivated attack in September 2020, even sharing his claims with local media. He told police someone had set his camper on fire because it had a Trump flag on it, and also reported that his garage door had been spray painted with political graffiti, including "Biden 2020," "BLM," and an Antifa symbol. 

However, investigators later determined Molla's claims were fabricated, and that he had started the fire and spray-painted the graffiti himself. 

Credit: KARE
Denis Molla

Federal prosecutors said Molla filed $300,000 in fraudulent insurance claims related to the damage. He received around $61,000 and threatened to report his insurance company to the Attorney General after some of the claims were denied. Court documents show Molla also collected $17,000 from two GoFundMe accounts created to support his family. 

Federal investigators indicted Molla on fraud charges in July 2022. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in October 2022.

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