Landlord Pleads Not Guilty to 8 Arson-Related Charges

A landlord accused of setting fire to two of his apartment buildings and attempting to burn another one twice to collect insurance payments pleaded not guilty Tuesday to eight arson-related charges.

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Bail for Gheorghe Alexandroai, a 63-year-old Romanian immigrant, was set at $1 million by North Orange County Municipal Judge Stephen J. Sundvold.

Alexandroai was arrested shortly after a blaze Thursday caused $50,000 damage to one of his eight-unit apartment complexes on Ball Road in Anaheim. Prosecutors contend that Alexandroai set that fire and another that caused $12,000 damage to another in 8600 block of Cerritos Avenue in Stanton in January.

In both cases, tenants, some of whom were sleeping, were quickly evacuated from the buildings by other residents and firefighters.

Alexandroai is also charged with attempted arson on Nov. 18 and March 2 on a second property he owns in the 1500 block of Ball Road in Anaheim.

All told, Alexandroai has been charged with two counts of arson, four counts of possession of a flammable material and two counts of attempted arson. Authorities say he may later face additional charges stemming from other fires at other properties he owns.

After the brief bail hearing, Alexandroai’s attorney, Mitchell Hannah, said the charges against his client are “based solely on circumstantial evidence.

“These fires are either coincidence or retaliation,” Hannah said outside of court. “My client denies all the charges adamantly.”

Deputy District Attorney Carl Biggs said during the hearing that Alexandroai showed little regard for life and property. “He set those fires without any concern for the safety of the occupants, including children,” Biggs said.

Biggs said prosecutors are still considering whether to file attempted murder charges against Alexandroai and are continuing their investigation. “We decided for now not to pursue attempted murder charges because it would require specific intent. His actions just showed an indifference,” Biggs said.

Hannah argued that his client should be released to take care of his properties. But Biggs told Sundvold that Alexandroai is a flight risk who poses a threat to society. He asked that Alexandroai be held either without bail or on $1 million bail.

Floarea Alexandroai, the suspect’s 50-year-old wife, was in court Tuesday. She was initially a suspect in the case, but was released from jail without being charged.

In an interview Friday, Floarea Alexandroai said she was unsure if her husband had started the fires. But outside of court on Tuesday, she said she was convinced of her husband’s innocence.

“I definitely don’t believe he did it,” she said in Romanian through an interpreter. “I cannot believe he would do this. The people who have known him for years don’t believe this.”

Riverside County authorities have also reopened their investigation of a September, 1992, fire in a single-family home in Mira Loma owned by Alexandroai. Capt. Wes Alston said the fire was originally attributed to electrical problems and caused $25,000 worth of damage, mainly to the attic of the home.

“We are taking another look at that fire,” Alston said. “There are a lot of similarities to the other fires in Orange County.”

If convicted on all charges, Alexandroai faces up to 20 years in prison. Sundvold set a preliminary hearing for May 3.