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HEBER CITY, Utah (AP) -- A motel owner accused of setting his business on fire and portraying it as a hate crime will stand trial on first-degree felony aggravated arson charges.
Mazhar Tabesh, 39, is accused of inventing a "mystery man" staying in Room 112 of the Alpine Lodge, and that he set the July 21 fire himself in an effort to escape financial problems.
Judge Donald Eyre filed a ruling last week that bound Tabesh over to stand trial. An arraignment is scheduled for later this month. If convicted, Tabesh could face a sentence of up to life in prison.
Tabesh, 39, a Muslim from Pakistan who has U.S. citizenship, claimed the fire was a hate crime and that his arrest -- on Sept. 11, 2002 -- was racially motivated.
Sympathetic residents raised nearly $1,400 for him toward the estimated $100,000 in damage caused by the fire.
A Heber City police officer testified at Tabesh's preliminary hearing that he was losing about $5,900 a month on the motel and still owed $450,000 on the mortgage.
Police and firefighters responding to a call from Tabesh found a small closet fire in Room 112 and a larger blaze in an upstairs hallway. Authorities have said accelerants were used in both fires.
Prosecutors said Tabesh's fingerprints were found on a food wrapper in the room.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
