(WNY News Now) – ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A Rochester man has pleaded guilty to arson in connection with two fires set earlier this year, including one at a local grocery store, federal prosecutors announced.
Jermaine Fields, 38, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a possible $250,000 fine.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, Fields set a fire inside the men’s restroom at the Abundance Co-Op Market on South Avenue on April 17, 2024. The Rochester Fire Department responded to the alarm and found burned debris and burn patterns on the floor and wall behind the toilet. Security footage showed Fields walking through the store, entering the restroom, and exiting moments before the alarm activated.
Investigators also linked Fields to a separate fire on April 5, 2024, at the Hall of Justice on Exchange Boulevard, where he admitted to igniting papers in a stairwell.
The case was investigated by the Rochester Fire Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Fields is scheduled for sentencing on June 16, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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