Massachusetts man charged with torching his second home in New Portland

A Massachusetts man has been arrested on charges that he torched his second home in Somerset County, Maine, and then collected insurance on it, authorities said.

William Carabetta, 49, of Monson, was arrested by Massachusetts State Police on Tuesday night at his home and has been charged with four counts of insurance deception and one charge of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, according to Maine’s Office of State Fire Marshal.

The charges stem from a fire on Jan. 28, 2017, at Carabetta’s former second home at 38 Carrabassett Road in New Portland. Investigators could not determine the cause of the fire. Emergency crews worked for nearly eight hours to try to contain the blaze but eventually were forced to tear down the home with an excavator in order to put it out.

The charges also come from Carabetta’s insurance claim for water damage from frozen pipes and a reported theft of an ATV from the property in 2016.

Investigators worked with state police in Massachusetts earlier in the day Tuesday before Carabetta’s arrest.

He was taken to the Hampden County Jail in Ludlow and was held on a fugitive from justice charge. He was expected to return to Maine once the fugitive from justice charge has been resolved.

Carabetta bought the New Portland home in 2014 for $84,000 and received $350,000 in insurance proceeds, officials said.

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