TUCSON, Ariz. (CN) - An Arizona man who set two fires in a post office and one outside a federal courthouse has been sentenced to five years in prison, the Justice Department said.
Cleophus Emanuel Cooksey, 55, pleaded guilty to twice setting fire to the public lobby of the U.S. Post Office Cherrybell Station and also setting fire to the bushes outside the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Courthouse. No one was injured in any of the incidents and the fires were all extinguished without serious damage.
Cooksey admitted to starting the fires as revenge against the federal government and said he would continue setting fires on federal property and engage in violent behavior to express his dissatisfaction with the government.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Zipps handed down the 60-month sentence on Thursday.
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