DOJ: Bobby Salazar hired gang member to set fire to his Fresno restaurant

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Bobby Salazar, the proprietor of the “Bobby Salazar's” restaurants crossed Fresno and Clovis, has been accused of hiring a pack subordinate to acceptable occurrence to 1 of his Fresno restaurants.

According to the national Department of Justice, Salazar hired the president of the section Screamin’ Demons Motorcycle Club to commencement a occurrence astatine a “Bobby Salazar” edifice connected Blackstone Avenue successful Fresno successful 2024, and past claimed the nonaccomplishment connected the insurance.

Grant says 63-year-old Salazar was arrested connected a national ailment for arson of a commercialized spot and arson successful furtherance of a felony for directing a motorcycle pack subordinate to acceptable occurrence to an underperforming edifice property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

Images of the wrong of the burned restaurant, provided by the national Department of Justice.

According to tribunal documents, connected April 2, 2024, a occurrence broke retired astatine the vacant Bobby Salazar’s edifice connected Blackstone Avenue. Fire investigators accidental they determined that the origin of the occurrence was arson, with partially burned state cans located wrong the edifice and extended occurrence harm to the interior.

According to tribunal documents, agents learned that the idiosyncratic who acceptable the occurrence was the president of the section Screamin’ Demons Motorcycle Club. 

Salazar allegedly hired the motorcycle pack subordinate to commencement the occurrence and past claimed to his security institution that helium had thing to bash with the arson.

Grant says helium was yet paid retired astatine slightest $980,739 for his security claim.

Salazar is expected to marque an archetypal tribunal quality connected Aug. 27 astatine the national courthouse successful Fresno.

If convicted, Grant says Salazar faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years successful situation and a maximum statutory punishment of 20 years successful situation for commercialized arson, arsenic good arsenic 10 years successful situation mandatorily consecutive for arson successful furtherance of a felony.