Man federally indicted for causing massive fire on Pittsburgh’s South Side in 2022

PITTSBURGH — A man has been federally indicted for causing a massive fire on Pittsburgh’s South Side in June 2022.

>> Fire at building on Pittsburgh’s South Side ‘considered suspicious’

The fire in the 1900 block of East Carson Street started around 3:53 a.m. on June 22.

A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety told Channel 11 at the time that the fire was considered suspicious.

An indictment filed in January said that between March 2019 and May 2022, Prasad Margabandhu filed a pattern of fraudulent Chapter 11 petitions in bankruptcy which identified the building as an asset. This was for the sole purpose of hindering and delaying creditors from putting it in the sheriff’s sale.

Margabandhu allegedly agreed to buy the building when it was scheduled for sheriff’s sale. He filed a bankruptcy claim the day before the sale to hinder and delay it being put up for auction, the indictment said.

This happened at least five more times, the indictment said.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday morning said Margabandhu is charged with conspiracy to maliciously destroy property by fire, malicious destruction of property by fire, bankruptcy fraud and mail fraud. The conspiracy and malicious destruction of property charges pertain to June 22, 2022.

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