TUCSON, Ariz. — A Michigan man has been found guilty of setting fires to semi-truck trailers owned by a Phoenix-based trucking company, federal prosecutors announced.
After an eight-day trial, a jury convicted Viorel Pricop, 66, of Allen Park, Michigan, on three counts of arson involving Swift Transportation trailers. Pricop has been in custody since his arrest in October 2022.
According to evidence presented in court, Pricop set fire to three trailers in Willcox and Holbrook, Arizona, targeting them while they were parked near truck stops. Investigators said the incidents were part of a broader pattern: between October 2021 and September 2022, Pricop allegedly set at least 16 additional Swift trailers on fire across several states, primarily along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.
Cell phone data placed Pricop near the Arizona crime scenes, and investigators found items in his vehicle including a gas torch, lighters, and fuel-soaked rags.
In 2024, Pricop was convicted in California on six other arson charges connected to the same series of attacks.
He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison for each count when sentenced on Nov. 13, 2025.
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from multiple field divisions and forensic labs.
