In one of the more bizarre cases in recent legal history, Danielle Bertothy, a 36-year-old former HLK Agency employee from St. Peters, Missouri, has pleaded guilty in federal court to setting fire to a commercial building in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, earlier this year. A federal judge has ruled that she will remain in custody until her sentencing in October, rejecting defense proposals that she be released under supervision.
According to NPR St. Louis, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri argued that Bertothy posed a significant flight risk, pointing to her lack of stable employment or housing and the overall collapse of her circumstances.
The defense initially countered that Bertothy had no prior criminal record or history of arrests. Her sister Jessica even traveled from Connecticut to testify, offering her home as a place for Danielle to stay and promising to ensure she avoided alcohol, drugs, and firearms.
The judge, however, ruled that the arrangement was not realistic, noting that Jessica could not be expected to monitor her sister’s behavior at all times, especially during required court appearances in Puerto Rico.
The charges stem from a January 2 blaze that destroyed or damaged four businesses in Cabo Rojo, including a retailer, restaurant, bar, and hotel that was forced to evacuate about 20 guests. Prosecutors say Bertothy became combative after being denied alcohol at Lucia’s on the Beach, a bar where police twice ordered her to leave on New Year’s Day.
Hours later, surveillance cameras captured her returning with a gas can, pouring liquid outside, and walking away as flames erupted. Witnesses, including her Airbnb hosts, later identified her, noting that the gas can had initially been left behind for generator use after a blackout. Bertothy allegedly cut her vacation short, leaving Puerto Rico the same day without reporting the fire.
When federal agents from the ATF searched her St. Peter’s home on January 7, they found her luggage unpacked with clothing matching what she had worn both at the bar and the airport, along with cocaine, empty wine boxes, and beer cans. On January 16, she was indicted on one count of using fire to destroy a building affecting interstate commerce, a federal arson charge that carries a sentence of five to twenty years. Her attorney is asking for the minimum, but prosecutors have made clear the damage was extensive and deliberate.
“We appreciate that we were able to negotiate a resolution where both the prosecution and the defense are recommending the lowest sentence allowed by law,” said Bertothy’s attorney, Justin Gelfand. “This is Ms. Bertothy’s first and only criminal conviction ever, and she looks forward to moving past this.”
Bertothy is scheduled to be sentenced on October 20 in San Juan. She will face five to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced. She is requesting the minimum sentence of five years.
REELated:
Former HLK Agency employee, Danielle Bertothy indicted on arson charges in Puerto Rico
