Gwinnett couple accused of pizzeria arson charged with insurance fraud

More than two weeks after being charged with arson, Delilah Smith and her boyfriend, Jerome Walker, are facing an additional charge of insurance fraud, jail records show.

PREVIOUSLY | Gwinnett pizzeria owner, boyfriend charged with arson after fire

MORE | Arsonist set Gwinnett pizzeria on fire, investigators say

Smith, 57, and Walker, 46, were arrested Jan. 5 on charges of first-degree arson and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. Gwinnett County Fire Investigators say Smith and Walker tried to set Pepperoni’s Duluth Alehouse on fire Jan. 2. Smith is the owner of the pizzeria.

Warrants for Smith and Walker’s arrests on insurance fraud charges were taken out on Jan. 23, said Capt. Tommy Rutledge, a spokesman for the department.

Fire investigators said the motive for the arson may have been financial. Rutledge declined to give additional information about the new charge Thursday.

Smith and Walker are being held at the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond.

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A Duluth pizzeria owner and her boyfriend have been charged with arson, officials said. Firefighters responded Pepperoni's Duluth Alehouse shortly after midnight Jan. 2. Delilah Smith, 57, is the owner. Jerome Walker, 46, is her boyfriend. Investigators said they found "inconsistencies" in information the two provided.

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