Former volunteer firefighter, deputy to serve 13 years in federal prison for torching house

CEDAR RAPIDS - A former Jones County Sheriff's deputy and volunteer firefighter convicted of burning down his vacant home in 2013 and defrauding his insurance company was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison Wednesday.

James Marvin Plower, 50, of Olin, pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of use of fire to commit a felony in U.S. District Court. He was also ordered to pay $152,875 in restitution to the insurance company and will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

During the plea hearing, Plower admitted he came up with a scheme to defraud his insurance company between July 2013 and August 2014. He also admitted to starting a fire in his vacant home in Martelle on July 25, 2013, and then submitted an insurance claim where he falsely claimed the fire was accidental.

Jones County Sheriff Greg Graver previously told The Gazette that Plower was a full-time deputy when the investigation started and then he resigned after the department found out about the investigation. Plower resigned March 6, 2014.

According to the criminal information, Plower moved out of his Martelle house, which was in poor condition as it remained unoccupied for some time. Plower then insured the house for damage and loss as a result of fire. The insurance policy didn't cover loss or damage deliberately caused by the insured.