A 37-year-old man has been indicted on an arson charge, months after several flares were thrown into a crowd during Orlando City Soccer Club’s season-opening match at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando.
On Thursday, October 17, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Orlando resident Giovanni Isai Ramirez Reyes with arson of a building that led to personal injuries.
According to court records, Ramirez Reyes was in attendance during Orlando City’s Major League Soccer (MLS) season opener vs. C.F. Montreal on Saturday, February 24, at Inter&Co Stadium.
During the soccer match, Ramirez Reyes allegedly lit two flares and threw them into a crowd that was standing in a section of the stadium. The flares proceeded to ignite a larger fire, which damaged the facility.
In addition, a child who was attending the match sustained burns from the fire.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
If Ramirez Reyes is convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and Orlando Fire Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam J. Nate.