Judge sets Bobby Salazar alleged arson trial in Fresno. Could plea deal be coming?
A federal judge set the date on Wednesday for a trial in the case of an alleged arson by Fresno restaurateur Bobby Salazar, who is accused of hiring two people to burn down a troubled location of one of his eateries.
Salazar, 64, pleaded “not guilty” last year to six counts, including four counts of mail fraud and two arson charges in U.S. District Court after he was accused of hiring the head of a Sanger-based motorcycle club to set fire on April 2, 2024, to the vacant Bobby Salazar’s Restaurant on Blackstone Avenue south of Shields Avenue.
Salazar did not speak during his court appearance Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stanley Boone, who set the arson trial date for April 6.
The same date was set for the pair accused of taking money to set the fire, Thomas Qualls and Shylo Badiali. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes said during the hearing he expected to offer a plea deal in the case involving all three within about 30 days. Assuming the case makes it to trial, he estimated it would last about two weeks.
Boone said he wanted to set a trial in an attempt to avoid any delays.
“You got a lot of time. You’re getting about 10 months,” the judge said.
Both Salazar and Qualls have other trials in unrelated cases, each for illegal gun possession. The judge also set dates for the cases after the arson case.
Salazar remains out of custody on $1 million bail. Qualls and Badiali were both in custody on Wednesday in jail-issued jumpsuits and handcuffs.
The alleged arson at Bobby Salazar’s Restaurant
Prosecutors allege Salazar paid Qualls, the president of the Screamin-Demons Motorcycle Club, and Badiali $10,000 to set fire to the restaurant at 2839 N. Blackstone Ave.
Salazar had increased the insurance coverage of the location between when it closed in January 2024 and when it burned in April 2024, according to prosecutors. The building was being used for storage before the fire.
He went on to collect almost $1 million in a payout after the fire, according to allegation in the court records. Prosecutors allege Salazar used the insurance payout on a condominium payment in San Francisco, owed taxes and a $500,000 loan.
Salazar’s salsa company continues to operate as does the Tower District location of his restaurant on Olive Avenue in Fresno as the trial continues.
He has at least once appeared to mock the arson accusation in a video on the restaurant’s social media account.
The four mail fraud charges each carry the potential of a 20-year sentence and arson to commit a felony carries a sentence of 10 years. A five-year sentence would be the punishment for a conviction on arson, which he also faces. Each counts carry a $250,000 fines.
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Judge sets Bobby Salazar alleged arson trial in Fresno. Could plea deal be coming?."
