Authorities say an Orange County restaurant owner was convicted Monday of an arson that destroyed his restaurant in 2017.

Zef Gjurashaj, 60, had been charged with arson and conspiracy.

Prosecutors said he conspired with his nephew’s wife, 38-year-old Marina Gjurashaj, in setting the fire to Andiamo’s Restaurant in Newburgh. She pleaded guilty to the same charges and testified against her uncle.

“Zef Gjurashaj, who operated the restaurant business in the fall of 2017, knew that the business was in a steep financial decline and decided to burn the business for insurance purposes," said the Orange County District Attorney's Office in a statement. "He instructed Marina Gjurashaj how to start the fire and removed a plug from a propane line in the kitchen, which allowed for the free flow of propane into the room once the valve was turned."

Marina Gjurashaj will be sentenced in October. Zef Gjurashaj faces 25 years to life when he is sentenced in December.