GREENVILLE, S.C.
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Deputies said that two men who co-owned Genesis Press set fire to the business in an effort to collect the insurance money, but the men blame the insurance company for their arrests.
Investigators said that a fire at the business on March 29, 2008, damaged a significant portion of the equipment and supplies inside.
Christopher Petrone and Lawrence Kudeviz were each charged with second-degree arson and making a false insurance claim to obtain benefits.
According to a statement from the pair's attorney, Richard Harpootlian, the insurance company responsible for paying the claim is trying to avoid paying the millions of dollars that is rightfully theirs. He said that the pair sued the insurance company in federal court before their arrests for failure to pay the claim.
Harppotlian said that his clients are innocent and they look forward to their day in court.
Kudeviz's brother-in-law, James Guzzy, was also charged in January with second-degree arson and second-degree burglary in connection with the blaze.
Petrone and Kudeviz were released on $20,000 bond.
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