Man Pleads Guilty to Destroying Rockford Restaurant by Arson

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has pleaded guilty to maliciously destroying - by means of fire and explosive materials – the former "15th and Chris" restaurant in Rockford.

JAMES PURIFOY, 51, admitted in plea agreement on Tuesday that he intentionally started a fire inside of his restaurant.  Purifoy was still inside the restaurant when he started the fire and suffered burn injuries. To hide his involvement from the police, Purifoy left the premises before police and fire personnel arrived to put out the fire.  Purifoy admitted to making false statements to the police during a traffic stop after the fire and to making false statements when he was interviewed at the hospital by investigating agents.  Additionally, Purifoy admitted to filing a fraudulent insurance claim, from which he received $305,400. 

Purifoy faces a minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years.  The sentence will be determined by the U.S. District Court in Rockford, guided by U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.  Sentencing is set for April 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge for ATF’s Chicago Field Division, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Rockford Fire Department and the Rockford Police Department assisted in this investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.