Charges Filed in Chicago LODD Arson Fire

Three men have been charged in connection with a fire that claimed the life of a Chicago firefighter in 2023. FF Jermaine Pelt was killed on April 4, 2023 while fighting a fire on the south side of Chicago.

Following an investigation by Chicago Fire Department’s Fire Investigation Division, the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State’s Attorneys Office, Martez Cristler, 22, Nicholas Virgil, 37, and Anthony Moore, 47, were charged with a variety of offenses related to the fire.

Cristler and Virgil are facing arson and homicide related charges for setting the fire while Moore is charged with wire fraud, insurance fraud, and forgery. Moore owned the home where the fire began.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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