美油漆工爲提早下班 兩次火燒核潛艇大綱

Navy investigators have determined that a civilian laborer set a fire that caused $400 million in damage to a nuclear-powered submarine because he had anxiety and wanted to get out of work early.

Casey James Fury of Portsmouth, N.H., faces up to life in prison if convicted of two counts of arson in the fire aboard the USS Miami attack submarine while it was in dry dock May 23 and a second blaze outside the sub on June 16.

The 24-year-old Casey was taking medications for anxiety and depression and told investigators he set the fires so he could get out of work, according a seven-page affidavit filed Monday in US District Court in Portland.

Fury made his first court appearance Monday afternoon but did not enter a plea.

Magistrate Judge John Rich III scheduled a combined detention and probable cause hearing for next month. The US attorney's office has filed a motion asking that Fury be held without bail.

Fury's federal public defender, David Beneman, did not speak in court and earlier in the day declined to comment to the reporters.

People who appeared to be family members attended the hearing but also declined to comment.

The Miami was in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for an overhaul when the fire damaged the torpedo room and command area inside the forward compartment. It took more than 12 hours to extinguish.

A second fire was reported June 16 on the dry dock cradle on which the Miami rests, but there was no damage and no injuries.

Fury, who was working on the sub as a painter and sandblaster, initially denied starting the fires but eventually acknowledged his involvement, the affidavit states.

He admitted setting the May 23 fire, which caused an estimated $400 million in damage, while taking a lie-detector test and being told by the examiner he wasn't being truthful.

Fury told Timothy Bailey, an agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, that "his anxiety started getting really bad," so he grabbed his cigarettes and a lighter, walked up to a bunk room and set fire to some rags on the top bunk.

If convicted of either charge, Fury could face life imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 and be ordered to pay restitution, officials said.美國海軍調查人員稱，一名油漆工因患焦慮症，想提早下班，點燃了一艘核潛艇，造成了4億美元的損失。

這名油漆工來自新罕布什爾州朴茨茅斯，名叫凱西•詹姆斯•弗裏。他涉嫌分別於今年5月23日和6月16日，點燃在造船廠內維修的美國海軍“邁阿密”號攻擊核潛艇，他被控兩項縱火罪名，如果定罪他將面臨終身監禁。

24歲的凱西正服用抗焦慮和抗抑鬱藥物。根據美國波特蘭州地方法院本週一存檔的一份長達七頁的口供，他告訴調查人員，縱火是爲了早些下班回家。

凱西本週一下午首次出庭，但沒有抗辯。

地方法官約翰-裏奇三世計劃於下月就兩項縱火罪對凱西進行拘留，並舉行可能性事由聽證會。美方律師辦公室已經遞交動議，要求不準保釋凱西。

凱西的聯邦公設辯護律師大衛-貝納曼在法庭上沒有發言，今天早些時候也拒絕對記者發表評論。

凱西的家人蔘加了審訊，但也拒絕發表評論。

當時，“邁阿密號”正在位於緬因州基特里的朴茨茅斯造船廠進行徹底檢修。大火突然燒燬了魚雷艙和前艙的控制室。火勢超過12小時才被撲滅。

6月16日，“邁阿密號”的潛艇托架再度被引燃，所幸沒有造成損失和人員傷亡。

凱西是潛水艇上的一名油漆工和噴砂工。根據口供，他最初否認自己縱火，但最終承認了自己的行爲。

他在接受測謊儀測試後才承認自己於5月23日首次縱火的事實，這次縱火造成了大約4億美元損失。其間審查員告訴他他沒說實話。

凱西告訴海軍犯罪調查局的特工蒂莫西-貝里說，“他的焦慮症開始嚴重起來”。因此他抓起香菸和打火機，走上船員艙，點燃了上鋪上的一些破布。

如果兩項罪名中的任意一項屬實，他都將面臨終身監禁，以及高達25萬美元的罰款，用於進行損失賠償。