HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that an Armstrong County woman has been sentenced to up to three years in prison for intentionally setting fire to her rented home as part of a scheme to collect insurance money.
Emmajean Mowery, 65, of Kittanning, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson and one count of insurance fraud stemming from a November 2023 fire at a rental property in Rayburn Township. On August 28, 2025, she was sentenced and ordered to pay more than $110,000 in restitution to the insurance company that issued the payout.
Arson to Cover Past Restitution
Investigators found that Mowery increased her insurance coverage just weeks before the 2023 fire. Authorities said she set the blaze as part of a plan to secure funds to help cover a court-ordered restitution balance from a previous insurance fraud conviction involving the arson of another home.
At the time of the incident, Mowery still owed about $57,000 in restitution from that earlier case. She failed to disclose her prior conviction on her insurance application, allowing her to obtain coverage she otherwise might not have qualified for.
False Claims and Intentional Fire
After the fire, Mowery told the insurance company that another resident in the home had accidentally started the blaze. However, investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set and discovered evidence contradicting her statements.
“This greedy, self-serving plot was an attempt to defraud an insurance company while putting emergency responders, neighbors, and other occupants of the home at grave risk,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I commend our Insurance Fraud Section for successfully prosecuting this defendant’s latest criminal scheme to avoid accountability for her prior crimes. Fraudulent insurance claims impact law-abiding citizens by causing insurance companies to raise rates.”
Repeat Offender Targeted by Insurance Fraud Section
The case was referred to the Office of Attorney General by an insurance investigator and prosecuted by the Insurance Fraud Section, which had also handled Mowery’s previous arson prosecution.
Deputy Attorney General Daniel Gleixner led the latest case, which underscores the ongoing efforts of state authorities to combat repeat insurance fraud and hold offenders accountable.
Officials highlighted that insurance fraud not only costs companies millions annually but also drives up rates for policyholders. Mowery’s case, they said, reflects the seriousness of arson-for-profit schemes and the broader public safety risks posed by such crimes.
With her sentence and restitution order, Mowery will now serve time for her role in orchestrating a second arson-for-profit scheme while still under obligation from her earlier conviction.
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