Manhattan Partygoer Gets Prison for Fire in Host's Building
Daniel Phillips was sentenced Tuesday in the January 2009 fire
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 | Updated 3:57 PM EDT
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A guest convicted of setting a fire in a New York City apartment building after being asked to leave a party has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Daniel Phillips was sentenced Tuesday. His lawyer, Eric Sears, stressed the 32-year-old film editor's clean record and accomplishments.
Sears says it's difficult "to believe he'd ever do something like this intentionally."
The Manhattan district attorney's office says Phillips reluctantly left a friend's January 2009 birthday gathering. Then he started a fire in a recycling storage area.
Prosecutors say flames and smoke shot up the five-story building's stairwell and caused more than $320,000 in damage.
No one was hurt, but dozens of people had to flee into a 14-degree night.
Phillips' plans to appeal his conviction on arson and other charges.
Photos: Metro North Train Collision
