Former Business Owner and Son Sentenced for Arson and Insurance Fraud

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Lawrence Wayne Reese, 56, and his son, Lance Terrell Reese, 28, both from Fort Belvoir, were sentenced today for their roles in burning down the Sub Shop, a business Lawrence Reese owned in Lorton.

Lawrence Reese was sentenced to 15 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $34,000 in restitution. Lance Reese was sentenced to five years in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $34,000 in restitution.

Lawrence and Lance Reese were convicted at trial on June 19, 2015, for their respective roles in the Feb. 6, 2013, arson of the Sub Shop.  Lawrence Reese owned and operated the business.  Through over 500 hours of financial analysis performed by an ATF Senior Forensic Auditor, the United States proved at trial that the business was financially insolvent.  Specifically, Lawrence Reese’s business reported losses of approximately $60,000 on its 2012 U.S. income tax return.  Due to financial strain, Lawrence Reese recruited his son and Horace Thompson to burn down the Sub Shop.  Thompson was convicted of arson at trial on Oct. 3, 2013, and was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2013, to five years in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $34,000 in restitution.

The evidence presented at trial established that Lawrence Reese and Thompson, through the use of the accelerant gasoline, caused an explosion followed by a fire at the Sub Shop.  The fire destroyed the business and left Lawrence Reese and Thompson badly burned.  Following the fire, Lawrence Reese submitted a claim for approximately $200,000 to his insurance company.  His submission of this claim, for an intentionally set fire, resulted in his commission of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Charles E. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the Arson Group in ATF’s Washington Field Division, with special assistance from ATF’s Financial Investigative Services Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Rich and Zachary Terwilliger prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-32.

###