Albuquerque Woman Pleads Guilty to Arson of Hotel Storage Warehouse

ALBUQUERQUE - An Albuquerque woman pleaded guilty to maliciously setting multiple fires that damaged and nearly destroyed a storage warehouse used by two Albuquerque hotels.

According to court documents, on October 14, 2024, Samantha Lee, 41, maliciously started several fires inside a storage warehouse on Menaul Boulevard NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that was used by the Crowne Plaza Hotel and The Querque Hotel to store furniture, carpeting, kitchen appliances, air conditioning units, linens, and other materials. The fires spread throughout the warehouse, causing significant structural damage and nearly destroying everything inside.

Fire investigators identified five areas where fires originated and, after reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses, traced a woman seen approaching and placing items near the areas where the fires started to Lee.

Lee pleaded guilty to arson. At sentencing, she faces five years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement today.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Elena Stiteler is prosecuting the case.