NEWS

Gilmore to pay $7.5 million for 2011 Old Town arson

Jason Pohl
jasonpohl@coloradoan.com

The man convicted of starting a fire in 2011 that destroyed a series of upscale and under-construction Old Town apartments must pay more than $7 million in restitution.

Prosecutors and Benjamin Gilmore, 32, reached an agreement ahead of a Thursday morning hearing. As part of the agreement, prosecutors will file an order for restitution totaling $7,552,205 that must go to victims and owners of both Mason Street Flats and nearby Penny Flats.

A jury in October found Gilmore guilty of first-degree arson, criminal mischief and burglary stemming from the early morning fire that sent flames shooting through the towering apartment buildings and scattered charred debris across downtown Fort Collins. Eighth District Judge Devin Odell in December sentenced the Fort Collins beekeeper to eight years in prison.

Gilmore was an active, outspoken member of the Occupy Fort Collins movement that was part of nationwide protests against social and economic inequality that peaked near the time of the fire. The blaze a block away from the protest caused about $10 million in damage to the under-construction Mason Street Flats and the neighboring Penny Flats building, and prosecutors used Gilmore's connection to the movement against him in trial.

The fire threatened 21 people's lives, prosecutors said, including many who were sleeping in Penny Flats, along with the firefighters and police who responded.

Gilmore maintained his innocence throughout the trial.