Ogden woman gets 90 days for torching houses

OGDEN — Marianne Mancuso cried as she pleaded for mercy from the judge.

"I truly believe I have been punished for my crime," she said.

The woman accused of torching abandoned homes in a blighted downtown neighborhood was sentenced to 90 days in jail Wednesday, after pleading no contest to a pair of third-degree felony arson charges. Mancuso, 47, is accused of setting a series of fires at abandoned homes in an area slated for redevelopment along the Ogden River. Police said at the time of her arrest that she had confessed to starting the fires, saying she wanted to jump-start the long-delayed multimillion-dollar renovation.

Appearing in 2nd District Court, Mancuso cried as she apologized to the city, police officers and firefighters, but she insisted she did not remember setting any fires.

"I truly never meant to hurt anybody," she said. "That's not me."

Her attorney said Mancuso had a long history of drug and alcohol problems and was just "zoozed" the night of the fires, suggesting she may have had a blackout.

"I believe her problem is one of drugs and alcohol, not malicious arson," Gary Gale said, seeking rehab rather than jail time.

But Judge Ernie Jones said arson isn't a small offense like shoplifting.

"It almost seems like her explanation is a little too convenient," he said, ordering the jail time, probation, fines, substance-abuse treatment and a curfew when she is released.

Restitution for the burned-out buildings may be the subject of a courtroom fight come July. Prosecutors set the price tag for the blighted, boarded up homes at $154,000.

"Those buildings are being torn down!" Gale said.

The owner of the buildings, who would be considered the alleged victim in the case, was not present. Demolition has already started on some of the abandoned buildings in the neighborhood.

Outside of court, Mancuso's relatives defended her.

"She's not an arsonist," said her father, Ross Mancuso.

Her brother, Bob Mancuso, insisted she is not dangerous to society. He said she needs help for her problems but said jail time was not the way to handle it.

"She may have thought she was doing good for the city," he said. "Well, she went about it the wrong way."

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