(WNY News Now) – LOCKPORT, NY — Joseph Gains, 61, of Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to Arson in the Third Degree in a case involving a series of fires at local businesses. Gains, a previously convicted arsonist, now faces 5 to 10 years in prison for his latest crimes.
The plea, entered in Niagara County Court this afternoon, resolves an indictment charging Gains with setting five fires across four incidents between 2022 and 2023. The targeted locations included the Auto Reclaim Scrap Center, also known as Myles Junkyard, and a nearby garage in the Town of Niagara. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the fires.
Gains has a chilling criminal history. In 1982, he was convicted of arson that caused the death of a firefighter and served 18 years in prison.
Niagara County District Attorney Brian D. Seaman highlighted the risks arson poses to first responders and communities:
“Thankfully, nobody was hurt by the fires this defendant set in 2022 and 2023. But arson is such a serious crime in part because of what can happen as a result. Anytime someone intentionally sets a fire, that person puts the lives of the men and women who will rush to the scene in danger.”
The arson cases were investigated by the Niagara Falls Police Department, Niagara Falls Fire Department, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorneys Doreen Hoffmann, Susan Bjornholm, Kaitlynn Schmidt, and Raymond Fadel prosecuted the case.
Gains is scheduled to return to court for sentencing before Judge John Ottaviano on March 17, 2025.
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