Federal authorities have arrested a 25-year-old Victoria man for possession of a destructive device in relation to an attempt to set a car on fire on Jan. 15. But during a detention hearing in Corpus Christi on Thursday for Marq Vincent Perez, prosecutors presented evidence, unrelated to the charge, tying him to the fire that destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center.
Attorney Mark Di Carlo, who’s representing Perez, says much of what was presented was through and by two confidential informants.
“And the two confidential informants did not testify at the hearing. Therefore it was actually hearsay -- hearsay upon hearsay because it was the U.S. government agent who’s testifying regarding what he had read that another agent had said they had said.”
Prosecutors accuse him of burglarizing the mosque on January 22 and then set it on fire on January 28.
Despite, Di Carlo’s objections, the judge found Perez to be a serious threat to the community and a flight risk and ordered him into custody pending further criminal proceedings.
Di Carlo says Perez has no previous criminal record.
The fire at the Victoria Islamic Center is still under investigation.
