Antonio Vierra, 70, was charged with arson in the second degree for one of eight recent Kunia wildfires. The former maintenance worker is also embroiled in controversy with previous employers.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The man accused of starting one of the recent fires in Kunia over the past several weeks also appears to have a troubled history with his former employers.
Antonio Vierra, 70, is charged with one count of arson for allegedly starting one of the eight recent fires in Kunia over the past two weeks.
The alleged fire starter filed wrongful termination lawsuits against two condos where he worked as a maintenance supervisor.
Several residents at the Keoni Ana apartment building in Waiki, one of Vierra’s previous employers, expressed strong opinions about him.
“Antonio Vierra is a disgusting individual,” said one unit owner, who did not want to go on camera. “He’s just an unsavory character. Doesn’t need to be around here.”
Another resident, who also wished to remain anonymous, added, “He’s just a total scumbag.”
Vierra filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Keoni Ana condo owners after he claimed he was fired last year for reporting illegal activity there, such as gambling among workers, and unpermitted or rule-breaking maintenance projects.
However, residents who asked to keep their identity private had their own allegations against Vierra.
“He completely destroyed our public restrooms on our rooftop, badly. Retaliation, possibly,” a third anonymous resident said.
Others echoed, “A lot of us believe that when, last December, he sabotaged our elevators.”
“Elevators went down, it’s just a lot of things, just too much of a coincidence, as soon as he’s gone, all of a sudden, there’s nothing breaking down the way it was while he was here,” another neighbor claimed. “Out of spite, I mean, this guy has a noted history for trying to sue his employers.”
Vierra also sued another previous boss, Cambridge Management, which oversees another building where he was also a maintenance supervisor.
In the suit, he claimed he was told to lie to residents about incomplete work orders and that his reports were ignored by a manager before he was let go.
Cambridge and Keoni Ana denied all of Vierra’s accusations.
“Thinking about what is alleged to have happened with the arson it’s just, I can’t believe we had this guy work for us,” said one of the Keoni Ana apartment owners. “I both couldn’t believe it and it was entirely on brand. I hope he is locked up a long time.”
Vierra is now jailed on an arson charge with his bail set at $50,000. He has settlement conferences for his lawsuits scheduled for October and February.