4 charged in arson-for-profit awaiting detention hearings

Three of the four defendants received court-appointed attorneys.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Four of seven men charged in an arson-for-profit case remain in federal custody pending pretrial detention hearings next week.

The defendants in custody are Majeed Bazazpour, 44, of Youngstown; Mohammad Fard, 44, of Canfield; Iraj Nasseri, 48, of Poland; and Frank Tenney, 29, of Masury.

The remaining defendants believed to now be in Iran are: Cyrus Ghassab, Farideh Jamali and Jamshid Ghassab. Cyrus and Jamshid are brothers.

All seven are named in a 21-count indictment that charges arson, mail fraud and money laundering. At least $695,112 of unlawfully obtained proceeds from insurance schemes was laundered, the government said.

Bazazpour, Fard, Nasseri and Tenney were arrested Thursday and made their initial appearance in Youngstown federal court. Magistrate Judge George J. Limbert ordered that they remain locked up until pretrial detention hearings Thursday. The case is being prosecuted by Phillip J. Tripi, an assistant U.S. attorney.

The court appointed Canfield attorney Joseph Gardner to represent Bazazpour; Fard retained Youngstown lawyer Robert A. Henkin Sr.; Boardman attorney Albert A. Palombaro was appointed to represent Nasseri; and Youngstown attorney James S. Gentile was appointed to represent Tenney.

Between 1994 and 2005, nine fires were set at commercial buildings in Mahoning and Trumbull counties by one or more of the co-conspirators, said William J. Edwards, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The defendants, to conceal what they were doing, made misrepresentations to insurance companies. To throw suspicion away from themselves, the defendants consistently named a business competitor as the likely arsonist, the government said.

Money made from the insurance claims was used to buy homes in the United States and Iran, to travel to and relocate to Iran, to reinvest in other businesses and to divert assets to other countries.

Also, $100,000 was used as bail to release Jamshid Ghassab, according to the government. Court records show he failed to show for sentencing in an international parental kidnapping case in 1999.