Galleria Mall Arsonist Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced Alexander Piggee, 24, of Sacramento, to 15 years in prison, to be followed by six years of supervised release, for causing fires that damaged the Westfield Galleria Mall in Roseville and a Wal-Mart on Antelope Road in Sacramento County. Both fires occurred on October 21, 2010.

In sentencing Piggee, Judge Mendez stated: “It was perhaps a cry for help, but it was the wrong cry for help.”

According to court documents, Piggee started the first fire in the garden department of Wal-Mart, which is open 24 hours a day, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Several hours later, Piggee entered the Game Stop in the Galleria Mall and, after ordering a store employee to leave, started a fire in a storeroom in the back of the store. The fire then spread through the ceiling and duct work and ultimately destroyed a large portion of the mall. Although the Wal-Mart fire caused only minor damage, the loss from the Galleria fire is expected to be more than $55 million.

This case was a product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local agencies. The Galleria fire was investigated by the Roseville Fire Department and the Roseville Police Department. The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District investigated the Wal-Mart fire. Due to the size of the Galleria fire, the ATF’s National Response Team was called in for the cause and origin investigation. The National Response Team is composed of multiple experts from around the country who have expertise in fire science and investigation. Assistant United States Attorney R. Steven Lapham prosecuted the case.

Woman Indicted for Robbing Guaranty Bank in Roseville

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 50-year-old woman was indicted for the September 14, 2010, robbery of the Guaranty Bank in Roseville. Michelle Lynn Matthew, no known address, was charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on September 14, Matthew stole approximately $3,313 from the bank.

If convicted, Matthew faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Roseville Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lola Velazquez-Aguilu.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.