Man sentenced to prison for setting fires at Drew Las Vegas

A man who set two fires at the Drew Las Vegas in 2018, causing millions in damage, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Joseph Sanders, 28, of Las Vegas was sentenced Friday in federal court for lighting the fires on March 1, 2018.

A news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Nevada Nicholas Trutanich said Sanders was trespassed from the property that was under construction. Sanders then recorded himself on a cellphone, confessing to starting one of two fires inside a building, about 200 yards apart from one another.

Sanders was subdued by Clark County firefighters. The damage was estimated to be in the “millions of dollars,” Trutanich’s office said.

Sanders pleaded guilty to one count of arson in October. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda Du.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clark County Fire Department.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.