A Belleville resident has pleaded guilty in federal court to arson after admitting to starting a fire at a gas station in Lebanon, Illinois.
Carlos A. Rodriguez, 33, entered his plea on one count of arson of real property used in interstate commerce. His sentencing is set for January 7, 2026.
Court documents state that Rodriguez visited the CC Food Mart in Lebanon on September 10, 2018. While inside the men’s bathroom, he set fire to a plastic air freshener attached to the wall before leaving the store.
According to authorities, customers and employees noticed smoke and discovered an active fire in the restroom about seven minutes after Rodriguez left.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an investigation that included building a mock-up of the restroom and running several experiments to measure how quickly such a fire could spread. This process helped investigators eliminate other potential suspects who had used the restroom that evening.
The incident resulted in approximately $6,000 worth of damage due to the fire and firefighting efforts.
Convictions for this type of arson carry mandatory penalties including at least five years and up to twenty years in prison, fines as high as $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
The ATF led the investigation with help from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office and Lebanon Police Department. The Lebanon Fire Department responded at the scene. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Burke is prosecuting the case.
“
