Newburgh man sentenced for burning down Andiamo's Restaurant in 2017

GOSHEN – A Newburgh man who was convicted of burning down his restaurant for profit was sentenced Wednesday to 22 and one-third years to life in state prison, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced.

Hoovler said a jury found Zef Gjurashaj, 60, of Newburgh guilty of one count each of first-degree arson, second-degree conspiracy and second-degree insurance fraud and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, all felonies, and one count of fifth-degree tax fraud, a misdemeanor, on Sept. 26, 2022.

Gjurashaj was the owner of Andiamo's Restaurant, located at 5025 Route 9W in the town of Newburgh. It burned down on Sept. 6, 2017.

Hoovler said that prior to the trial, Gjurashaj's co-defendant and the wife of his nephew, Marina Gjurashaj, 38, of Yonkers, pleaded guilty to third-degree arson and fourth-degree conspiracy, both felonies, for her role in setting the fire. As part of her plea agreement, she testified against Zef Gjurashaj.

During sentencing proceedings, Executive Assistant District Attorney Stewart Rosenwasser, who prosecuted the case, argued that Zef Gjurashaj exploited Marina Gjurashaj's immigration status and her history as a domestic violence victim to induce her to aid him in the arson.

Prosecutors argued that Zef Gjurashaj knew that Andiamo's was in steep financial decline and decided to burn the restaurant for insurance purposes. They said he instructed Marina Gjurashaj how to start the fire, and removed a plug from a propane line in the kitchen, which allowed the free flow of propane into the room once the valve was turned.

The investigation into the fire revealed that on Sept. 6, 2017, at the direction of Zef Gjurashaj, Marina Gjurashaj intentionally set fire to the building 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, prosecutors said.

The resulting fire was of such ferocity that it not only decimated the building but also endangered both the firefighters who responded to fight the blaze, and Zef Gjurashaj's wife, who was present at the time.

"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," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office. "The utter disregard for human life and property exhibited in this case is appalling."

James Kousouros, an attorney who did not represent Gjurashaj during the trial but will be handling his appeal, called the sentence "excessive" and said comments by the district attorney's office were unwarranted and untrue.

"There is no evidence or any truth to claims that Mr. Gjurashaj intended to bring harm to anyone," Kousouros said. "We will file an appeal on the substance of the evidence and hope the appellate court will embrace the issues we raise."

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter @mikerandall845