Samuel Siligato, 62, of Hammonton, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated arson before Superior Court Judge Ronald J. Freeman in Camden County. The charge was contained in a state grand jury indictment returned in February 2007.

Judge Freeman scheduled sentencing for March 23. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Siligato be sentenced to five years in state prison, to run concurrently to the 11-year state prison sentence previously imposed in Atlantic County. Under the plea agreement, the state is also recommending that Siligato pay $83,354.84 in restitution to Farm Family Casualty Insurance Company.

In pleading guilty today, Siligato admitted that on April 8, 2005, he agreed with one or more unindicted co-conspirators to start a fire in a vacant dwelling located at 750 South Whitehorse Pike in Winslow Township, Camden County. Siligato admitted that his purpose was to promote or facilitate the commission of the crime of aggravated arson by destroying the vacant dwelling.

In July 2006, Siligato was found guilty of attempted theft by deception, conspiracy, and witness tampering following an 11-week jury trial on charges related to a 1998 fire at his property and related claims he filed with Farmers Mutual Insurance Company. Siligato was sentenced to 11 years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Albert Garofolo in Atlantic County for those charges.

Siligato began serving the 11-year state prison sentence in October 2011, after the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, affirmed the defendant’s 2006 convictions.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Sarnoff Gochman and Lieutenant Robert Stemmer, Detective Scott Capone and Civil Investigator Joseph Salvatore were assigned to the investigation. Gochman represented the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea hearing.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org . State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

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