One of three men prosecuted in Hereford House explosion, arson fire released from prison
One of three men prosecuted for the 2008 explosion and arson fire that destroyed Kansas City’s Hereford House restaurant was released from federal prison last week.
Mark Sorrentino, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2013, received compassionate release due to his cancer diagnosis, according to Sorrentino’s paralegal Eddie Cox.
Another man who was prosecuted, Hereford House part-owner Rodney Anderson, was released from prison last March, according to federal prison records, with Cox adding that he also received a compassionate release for his cancer diagnosis.
Vincent Pisciotta, the third man prosecuted, remains in federal prison with a release date of December 2029.
Sorrentino, Anderson and Pisciotta were all sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to torch the restaurant for insurance money. All three were charged with conspiracy, arson, mail fraud and using fire to commit a federal crime.
Anderson eventually filed insurance paperwork claiming a $2.4 million loss in the fire. He also filed for personal bankruptcy four months after the fire, disclosing that he had personal assets of $1.24 million and debts of nearly $3 million.
The restaurant that stood at 2 East 20th Street never reopened.
Surveillance video showed 14 jugs containing what later was identified as gasoline, according to previous reporting. They set off the gasoline fumes using a delayed ignition device composed of tobacco products and rags that allowed them to escape the resulting explosion without injury.
The three men never testified during their seven-day trial.
During her testimony, Sorrentino’s ex–wife, Jenifer Sorrentino, recalled that Mark Sorrentino came home early the morning of the fire smelling strongly of gasoline. Jenifer Sorrentino also identified her ex-husband on surveillance video, as did other witnesses who came forward.
In 2015, a federal appeals court upheld the convictions.
New Hereford House troubles
Hereford House has recently been back in the media spotlight, after a former employee allegedly contaminated food while working in the kitchen at the restaurant’s Leawood location.
In September, former Hereford House employee Jace Christian Hanson plead not guilty 22 counts of criminal threat for allegedly contaminating food, one count of criminal damage and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse materials.
More than 380 people who had eaten at the restaurant contacted police, including some who fell ill afterward. More than 60 customers filed 32 lawsuits against the Hereford House Restaurant Company of Kansas Inc., contending they fell ill after eating at the Leawood restaurant during the period Hanson worked there.
Hereford House has denied being negligent, and contends it did not know Hanson was allegedly contaminating food until he was arrested on April 25. The restaurant also contends the alleged contamination resulted from Hanson’s alleged criminal conduct, which was outside his scope of employment.
In early August, Hereford House shut down its Leawood restaurant after the much-publicized incident led to financial problems.
Hanson is due back in court on Dec. 6.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 3:00 PM.