Pennsylvania state police have charged Lackawanna County’s deputy corner with arson, alleging he tried to pay $40,000 to an undercover trooper to burn a building he owned in a bid to collect insurance money.
The Times-Tribune in Scranton reported on its website that Joseph A. Swoboda was charged Friday with one felony count each of arson, solicitation to commit arson and arson for insurance purposes. He’s also facing a count of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
The paper reported that Swoboda was taken into custody earlier Friday and put in the county prison in lieu of $50,000 bond.
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