At Risoldi trial, firefighters recount 2013 blaze

As firefighters battled a 2013 fire at the mansion of a politically-connected Bucks County family, no one kept a record of who went in or out of the home, several firefighters testified Wednesday.

Their testimony took up most of the morning on the fourth day of the Doylestown preliminary hearing for members the Risoldi family, accused of bilking insurers out of $20 million following three fires in five years at their New Hope area estate.

Defense attorneys sought to emphasize that firefighters didn't know who had been in the house during the 2013 fire. Claire Risoldi, the family matriarch and lead defendant in the case, has claimed $10 million of jewelry went missing during that blaze, and could have been stolen by firefighters.

Prosecutors contend that loss claim was fraudulent. They have charged Risoldi and five others with conspiracy, fraud, and witness intimidation.

The preliminary hearing will resume Monday.

-Chris Palmer