The owner of a popular Town of Newburgh restaurant that was destroyed in a 2017 fire, and an accomplice have been charged in connection with that fire.

On November 27, Zef Gjurashaj, 59, of the Town of Newburgh and Marina Gjurashaj, 37, of Yonkers were arrested for their roles in the burning of Andiamo’s Restaurant previously located at 5025 Route 9W in the Town of Newburgh. The fire took place on September 6, 2017, according to the District Attorney’s office.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said both Marina and Zef have been indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury. Charges against the pair are Arson in the First Degree, Conspiracy in the Second Degree, Insurance Fraud in the Second Degree, Tax Fraud in the Fifth Degree and other related offenses. Both are facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted, Hoovler said.

“The insurance money in the case would have been close to $1.6 million,” Hoovler said. “The restaurant was in financial decline for some time.” Hoovler identified Marina, the wife of Zef’s nephew, as the one who started the fire at the restaurant and conspired with Zef to collect the insurance money. Hoovler said the investigation has lasted over the course of the last four years and several indications of arson came from burn patterns identified from the scene in the initial investigations.

The District Attorney’s office said Zef had presented a fraudulent Proof of Loss in December 2017 to his insurance company. Other insurance documents were also submitted to the company during 2018. The release continues to state Zef falsely testified twice during an Examination Under Oath (EUO) regarding the fire. Their cases are pending in Orange County Court, Hoovler stated.

The area where Andiamo’s first stood has been converted into a parking lot next to Alexis Diner. A newer Andiamo’s Restaurant, under construction at the time of the fire, is located at 34 Plank Road in the Town of Newburgh. According to Stewart Rosenwasser, Special Counsel to the District Attorney, the current Andiamo’s Restaurant on Plank Road was previously under the name V&V Italian Steakhouse. V&V, also owned by Zef Gjurashaj opened November 16, 2016 according to Rosenwasser. It was renamed Andiamo’s following reopening during the pandemic.

Hoovler thanked The Town of Newburgh Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York State Department of Financial Services, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Hoovler also thanked Cronomer Valley Fire Department, Westchester County Police Department, Yonkers Police and Sterling Insurance Company for the efforts as well in the case. On December 9, both defendants made a brief appearance in court.

“Arson in the First Degree is one of the more rarely charged crimes in this state due to the complexity of proof and other legal issues and I highly commend all the law enforcement agencies for their tireless work on this case,” said District Attorney David. M. Hoovler. “The utter disregard for human life and property exhibited in this case is appalling. The defendants’ selfish actions in this case were allegedly motivated by pure greed. However, the hard work dedicated by the law enforcement professionals during the course of this investigation has brought to light the crimes these defendants hoped would disappear in the flames they set. I am proud of the selfless cooperation amongst our law enforcement partners as we seek to hold the defendants accountable for their actions.”

“Insurance fraud involving arson not only burdens consumers with higher insurance premiums but also endangers lives,” said Acting New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris. “Thanks to the excellent and diligent work by DFS investigators in coordination with fellow law enforcement partners, the perpetrators involved in this case have been apprehended.”