Tucson, AZ → A 67-year-old Allen Park man who carried out a multi-state arson campaign targeting a major trucking company has been sentenced to another decade behind bars, marking the latest federal punishment in a years-long revenge-fueled crime spree.
Viorel Pricop was sentenced in February 2026 to 120 months in federal prison by a U.S. District Judge in Arizona after a jury found him guilty of three counts of Arson of a Vehicle or Property in Interstate Commerce following an eight-day trial. The charges stemmed from fires he set to Swift Transportation semi-trailers in Willcox and Holbrook, Arizona.
Federal authorities said the Arizona case was part of a broader pattern in which Pricop set at least 16 additional Swift trailers on fire between October 2021 and September 2022 across several states, with most incidents occurring along Interstates 10 and 40. Investigators described the arsons as a targeted campaign that endangered drivers, damaged property, and disrupted interstate commerce.
The Arizona sentence is not his first major federal punishment. In June 2024, Pricop was sentenced in California to more than 10 years in prison after a separate jury convicted him of six counts of arson tied to truck fires in Southern California cities including Hesperia, Barstow, Newberry Springs, Ludlow, and the Coachella area. In that case, a federal judge handed down a 121-month prison term and ordered him to pay roughly $648,000 in restitution.
“This defendant left a nation-wide path of destruction that threatened lives, property, and critical infrastructure,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Thanks to the dedicated work of federal prosecutors and ATF agents, the DoJ brought him to justice. This case is proof that the federal government will bring its full weight to bear in order to stop dangerous and destructive criminals.”
Prosecutors said the fires were part of a revenge plot against Swift Transportation after the company caught Pricop stealing cargo in 2015. That earlier investigation led to federal convictions in Michigan in 2018 for theft-related offenses, for which he served about 26 months in prison. His supervised release ended in 2019, roughly a year before the arson spree began.
Authorities later linked Pricop to more than two dozen fires across at least eight states dating back to 2020. In several cases, truck drivers were inside or sleeping in their cabs when the trailers were set ablaze, putting lives at risk. Investigators tied him to the crimes using cellphone data, a navigation device on his truck, surveillance footage, and evidence recovered during searches, including a gas torch, lighters, and documents tracking locations tied to the fires.
The Arizona conviction centers on three specific incidents, but officials said the broader investigation spanned multiple states and involved federal resources, including ATF fire investigators and forensic specialists. The earlier California case addressed six of the fires, while additional incidents were investigated in other jurisdictions.
“The ten-year sentence handed down to Pricop marks the culmination of a multi-year, multi-state investigation into a dangerous campaign of targeted arson,” said Shawn Stallo, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Phoenix Field Division. “This successful outcome was made possible through the exhaustive use of ATF resources, including our K-9 units, the Fire Research Laboratory, and the technical expertise of our Certified Fire Investigators who methodically linked these fires across the country. By leveraging these specialized tools to hold this serial arsonist accountable, we have ensured that he can no longer threaten the lives of drivers or the safety of our nation’s interstate commerce.”
With federal sentences now imposed in both California and Arizona, the Allen Park man is facing substantial prison time for what prosecutors described as a long-running, nationwide arson campaign targeting the same company.
Discuss this on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CT67YnV8t/