Houston Businessman Pleads Guilty in Arson-for-Hire Scheme

A Houston businessman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit arson of a commercial building, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Lyndell Leroy Price, 42, admitted he directed others to intentionally set fire to Bar 5015, a Houston business his former partner owned on Almeda Road in Houston.

Shortly before the fire, court records show, the owner had declined Price’s offer to buy into the bar and refused to sell his interest in the Turkey Leg Hut, an establishment he co-owned with Price.

In the early morning hours of June 12, 2020, the conspirators bought gasoline and gas cans before going to an area near the business. Wearing face coverings, they walked to Bar 5015, poured gasoline across the entrance ramp and deck, ignited it and fled.

The fire caused significant damage to the business and endangered nearby occupied homes, commercial properties and the electrical grid.

After the arson, a member of the conspiracy reported to Price that the mission was complete.

The conspirators then received payment for their roles in the crime.

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake, in the Southern District of Texas, accepted the plea and set sentencing for Sept. 25.

At that time, Price faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Armani Williams and Miziah Shepherd, both 27 and of Houston, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and are also set for sentencing the same date.

Price, Williams and Shepherd have been and will remain in custody pending their sentencing hearings.

The FBI in Houston; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Houston Fire Department Arson Bureau conducted the investigation with assistance of the Houston Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Harris County Constable’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Keri Fuller are prosecuting the case.