Ronnie Bookhardt Sentenced to 57 Months for Arson at D.C. Apartment Building Housing His Family

WASHINGTON — Ronnie Bookhardt, 64, of Washington, D.C., received a 57-month prison sentence on May 29, 2026, for arson of a residential apartment building where his family members resided, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia announced.

The sentence was imposed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Bookhardt pleaded guilty to the charge, which stemmed from a fire set inside the occupied multi-unit structure. The building housed his own family members among the residents.

Scope of impact remains tied to the single incident. Federal arson prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. § 844(i) cover damage to buildings used in interstate commerce; residential apartment buildings qualify. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not release the exact number of units or residents displaced, but the charging document identified the structure as an occupied dwelling.

The sentence changes Bookhardt’s status from pretrial release to immediate incarceration. He will serve 57 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered restitution to be paid to victims, though the precise amount was not detailed in the release. Prior to sentencing, Bookhardt faced a statutory maximum of 20 years.

Downstream effects include the start of formal victim restitution collection upon his release and the activation of standard federal supervised-release conditions, such as reporting requirements and restrictions on travel or contact with the affected property.

The Bureau of Prisons must now designate a facility and calculate his release date. Any unpaid restitution becomes a lien enforceable by the Justice Department’s Financial Litigation Unit. The case also closes one active arson prosecution in the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s caseload.

This marks the latest felony arson sentencing handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in 2026. The office has pursued charges under the same statute in prior incidents involving occupied residential buildings, where sentences routinely include both incarceration and mandatory restitution to property owners and displaced tenants.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice