Bobby Salazar faces 4 counts of mail fraud in alleged Fresno arson scheme
Fresno restaurateur Bobby Salazar faces new mail fraud charges tacked onto the arson trial ongoing in U.S. District Court.
Salazar, 63, was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, but the hearing was postponed.
A new indictment returned Oct. 23 by a federal grand jury accused Salazar of four counts of mail fraud related to the insurance fraud scheme of which he had already been accused, including hiring a member of a biker gang to burn an underperforming location of Bobby Salazar’s Restaurant.
Salazar pleaded not guilty to arson and gun charges but has not appeared in court since the new mail fraud charges came to light. His attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Prosecutors allege Salazar paid Thomas Qualls, the president of the Screamin-Demons Motorcycle Club, and an accomplice $10,000 to set fire to the Bobby Salazar’s Restaurant located at 2839 N. Blackstone Ave. The building burned down on April 2, 2024.
Salazar collected almost $1 million in an insurance payout for the fire, prosecutors have said. The alleged mail fraud is tied to his claims to the unnamed insurance company to not be involved in the fire, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said Salazar used the payout to make payments on a condominium in San Francisco, owed taxes and a $500,000 loan.
His next hearing was set for Nov. 17.
Salazar has been released on a $1 million bond. Qualls remains in Fresno County Jail, according to records.
