Charges: Brooklyn Center man faked Trump flag arson, BLM vandalism

Prosecutors say a Brooklyn Center man staged a politically motivated arson attack nearly two years ago, defrauding his insurance company and collecting thousands of dollars in donations.

Denis Vladmirovich Molla, 29, was charged with two counts of wire fraud Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

According to charges, Molla falsely reported someone set his camper on fire because it had a Trump 2020 flag, that three people were near his home when he heard an explosion and that his garage door was vandalized with "Biden 2020," "BLM" and an antifa symbol.

First responders extinguished the fire, which burned down the detached garage, totaled three vehicles and dealt minor damage to the home shortly before 4 a.m. Sept. 23, 2020. Crews also helped the family save three dogs and four puppies from the home, according to prior statements from police.

Deana and Denis Molla previously told the Star Tribune they were asleep in the house with their 2-year-old son and 5-month old daughter when the fire erupted.

"In reality, as (Denis) Molla well knew, Molla started his own property on fire, Molla spray-painted the graffiti on his own property and there were no unknown males near his homes," according to charging documents.

Prosecutors say he later filed a claim with his insurance company for more than $300,000 and received about $61,000. He also deposited into his personal bank account more than $17,000 from his "Patriots for the Mollas" GoFundMe account.

When his insurance company denied some of his claims, Molla submitted complaints that the company was defrauding him, and he threatened to report it to the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the attorney general.

Molla was released from custody without bail on a promise to appear in court, according to court documents. A call to Molla's lawyer was not returned by deadline.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Brooklyn Center Police Department.