Handyman pleads not guilty to arson
The Oakland man accused of setting fire to an East Bay housing project — one in a series of blazes that have incinerated large-scale developments over the past few years — pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony arson, moving the case forward to a trial judge on a single charge.
Dustin Bellinger, 45, faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years if convicted.
Bellinger, a handyman and part-time construction worker who also goes by the name Faheem Bey, appeared at Oakland’s federal courthouse in burgundy and orange jail garb and spoke only to answer procedural questions.
To date, public court filings and hearings have offered few clues into how, or whether, the case is linked to other incidents of arson that have shaken East Bay developers and residents in recent years.
Bellinger’s charge stems from a fire that was intentionally set in the early morning hours on Oct. 23 at the Hollis Oak apartment construction site near the Oakland-Emeryville border. The flames quickly burned out, but that same morning a monster blaze devoured six of the nine buildings in the 126-unit Ice House complex — another residential complex under development just 10 blocks away.
Since 2012, at least seven other housing projects from Concord to Emeryville have gone up in flames. Authorities ruled that several of the fires were caused by arson, leading some developers to speculate that an anti-gentrification extremist was out to send a message.
Many of the fires were set in the middle of the night, and in at least two cases security footage captured suspects near the scenes.
Bellinger was arrested Nov. 20 in Oakland and has been held without bail since. ATF agents linked him to the case through DNA evidence left at the Hollis Oak scene, authorities said.
The defendant goes by the surname Bey in association with the family that owned Your Black Muslim Bakery, a chain of bakeries that was connected to numerous crimes.
One member of the family, Yusuf Bey IV, is among three men serving prison time for the murders of journalist Chauncey Bailey and two others.
At the time of Bellinger’s arrest, federal prosecutors suggested that the case could soon include more charges or more defendants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elise LaPunzina argued in a motion to seal court records that “this is an ongoing investigation into one of several arsons, and disclosure would give the target and any co-conspirators an opportunity to flee, and destroy or conceal evidence.”
As of Friday, the case still included just one defendant: Bellinger. At least three documents were filed under seal in late January, and prosecutors are not precluded from adding more charges.
Prosecutors and defense attorney David Rizk declined comment on the case.
One developer whose Oakland project was torched more than two years ago said the slow progress in other cases has been frustrating. The fires have prompted several developers to invest in additional security for their projects, such as motion sensors, guards, lights and cameras.
“We’re still on edge because we don’t know what is going on,” said Athan Magganas, who owns a 41-unit apartment complex near Lake Merritt. “We always thought there was a small group of individuals.”
Magganas said it’s been a few months since he’s spoken to an investigator, and he feels he’s been kept in the dark about progress in the case.
“I hope that they have not dropped the ball,” Magganas said. “I hope that they’re still working on it.”
On Tuesday, Bellinger waived his right to a grand jury. He is due back in court March 11 before District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. in the Oakland federal courthouse.