UPDATED: 8:01 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The second brother accused of torching a Chestnut Street condo building, which incinerated most of an Old City block in 2018, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
Bahaa Dawara received the same sentence as his brother, 40-year-old Imad, earlier this week after admitting they poured gasoline in the basement of their failing business to collect insurance money — as children and families slept upstairs.
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Prosecutor Kate Driscoll said the negotiated plea deal lets the victims move forward.
“They have closure. To be able to speak in court this week was very cathartic for them,” she said, “and I think a sentence of nine years for the defendants, thinking every day about the crimes they committed, is very significant to the victims.”
The judge said he was reluctant to agree to the plea deal, telling 32-year-old Bahaa Dawara his “blood boils every time” he “thinks of this case,” but he accepted the deal knowing victims like Katherine Rubin can try to move on from the trauma.
“I was home alone,” Rubin testified, recalling that evening. Her husband and children were away.
She said she heard the brothers laughing as the building burned.
“Since the fire was raging, we know what happened, knew who had done it,” Rubin said. “To see that in my head, to this day, just them walking away, laughing, while we watched everything get destroyed.”
One owner wrote a letter to be read aloud, saying not only did he lose his entire retirement nest egg, but the city then billed him $660,000 to demolish what was left by the Dawara brothers’ deed.
Some former residents said they reported the brothers to the city several times over the years, citing violence, disorder and threats.
“The City of Philadelphia didn’t help protect us from the Dawara brothers when we asked them to, years before the fire,” Rubin said.
Bahaa Dawara briefly spoke at his sentencing, calling it “a mistake.”
Prosecutor Jeanine Linehan added the victims now have a sense of closure.
“Everyone feels a great deal of relief. This was a devastating fire with massive losses and it was an extraordinary investigation,” she said.
“We’re relieved to have this ordeal behind us,” said victim Phil Weber. He rescued two dogs and two sleeping children upstairs from the condo that night. While the fire spread across the entire block, the judge said it was miraculous that no one died.
“We believe the city is a safer place today,” Weber continued. “We are deeply grateful to the Philadelphia Fire Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Janine Linehan, and Judge [Juan] Sanchez for their professionalism and compassion.”
The judge ordered both brothers to never contact the victims, and they must pay $22 million in restitution to them.
KYW Newsradio reached out to the city for comment. They shared this response in full:
Our hearts go out to all those affected, many of whom City workers got to know during the months the City spent on site supervising complex demolition and construction work, meeting with occupants, researching disaster relief for small businesses, and personally escorting residents one at a time into damaged properties so that they could retrieve their belongings.
The arson on the 200 block of Chestnut was a heartless crime that risked the lives of dozens of residents and firefighters; destroyed small businesses, homes, personal belongings, and historically significant buildings; and murdered beloved pets. The blame for this crime rests solely with the criminals, who have fortunately been brought to justice as a result of an investigation aided by the City.
The City was required by law to seek reimbursement from the owner of 239 Chestnut so that Philadelphia taxpayers did not have to foot the entire bill on their own. We do not know how much of the owner’s invoice was paid by insurance, but we understand that the valuable multistory building was insured against property damage and liability.
As for the complaints that the City didn’t do enough to remove the Dawara Brothers from the properties before they decided to commit arson, in fact they the City engaged in protracted litigation with the brothers that resulted in cease operations orders against their business.