A Bosnian couple found guilty of burning down their trailer home plan to appeal their conviction after being sentenced Friday in Fargo, defense attorneys said.
Arson is "a personal attack on the community," said Cass County Judge Norman Backes. "Fires have a tendency to get out of control. People can get hurt and property damaged."
Backes sentenced Sadik and Hajrija Beciraj each to 60 days in jail, three years of probation and fines of $500 for attorneys' fees.
The couple, who are parents of five children, were charged with burning down their home at 822 Countryside Trailer Park on Jan. 29, 2001, in order to collect insurance.
Their insurance policy had been canceled three weeks prior to the fire. However, the couple received $4,500 in assistance from the American Red Cross and $1,059 from Fargo's Integrity Windows and Doors, where Sadik Beciraj worked, said Assistant Cass County State's Attorney Lisa McEvers.
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Since Sadik and Hajrija Beciraj are not U.S. citizens, they could be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Service due to their felony convictions.
"The possibility of deportation is a very real possibility," Backes said.
The district court does not have jurisdiction over the deportation issue.
The couple came to Fargo from war-torn Bosnia six years ago. They suffered another mobile home fire in December 1998 that destroyed their possessions. A plugged dryer vent was determined to be the cause.
Backes ordered them to serve staggered sentences so as not to remove them both from their children at the same time.
The couple have until Feb. 10 to file appeals.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Lisa Schneider at (701) 241-5529
