9-Jan-2012 - Accused LA arsonist's mom faces German charges

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The mother of a German man suspected of more than 50 arson attacks over New Year's weekend appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday for fraud NFL jerseys wholesale charges she faces in their native country.This still photo taken from video released on Monday by OnScene.tv shows arson suspect Harry Burkhart, 24, a German national, being arrested in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (OnScene.tv/Associated Press)Dorothee Burkhart was charged with 19 counts of fraud in Frankfurt, including failing to pay for a 2004 breast-augmentation surgery and pilfering security deposits from renters. The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether she should be released on bond. The woman's 24-year-old son, Harry Burkhart, was charged Wednesday with 37 counts of arson as part of a rash of fires that caused more than 3 million US in damage. His bail was set at 2.85 million."One little mentally ill child cannot do fire like this."—Dorothee Burkhart, mother of accused L.A. arsonistBurkhart is suspected of setting more than 50 blazes that caused an estimated 3 million in damage. He has refused to co-operate with investigators since his arrest on Monday. Authorities said they believe he was angry over his mother's legal troubles and went on a nighttime rampage of burning parked cars a day after she appeared in court last week. Burkhart's mother said in court earlier this week that her son is mentally ill.Son also in German probeHe is also under investigation in Germany, for a house fire north of Frankfurt days before he travelled to the U.S. in October. The fire at the house, which belonged to the Burkhart family, has been ruled an arson, Marburg prosecutors' spokeswoman Annemarie Wied said Wednesday. Burkhart NBA jerseys did not live in the area, but his name surfaced as a suspect after he filed an insurance claim shortly after the fire, Wied said. A Vancouver doctor told CBC News on Tuesday that the Burkharts lived in Vancouver for at least two years. The doctor, who did not want to be named, said they were patients of hers between 2008 and 2010. Police in L.A. have not confirmed any connection to the Canadian province. The pair's lives unravelled last week, when the younger Burkhart caught the attention of court officials at his mother's hearing, yelling "F--- the United States!" or "F--- all Americans," authorities said.Mother blames Nazis for firesAt each of their subsequent court appearances, both Burkharts made a spectacle. Dorothee Burkhart constantly asked for her son, apparently unaware he had been arrested. She also wondered if the Nazis knew where she and her son lived. The next day in court, her son was surrounded by sheriff's deputies as he alternated between sitting and standing. He often arched his head and body backward, looking up to the ceiling with his mouth agape. On Friday, the elder Burkhart was ordered to return to court Tuesday with the hopes she will have hired an attorney. During a hearing, she denied the charges against her and suggested Nazis, not her son, were responsible for the recent rash of fires. "One little mentally ill child cannot do fire like this," she said in broken NFL jerseys English. She stood up at one point and claimed she had been abused while in custody. "Ma'am, sit down. This is not a show," said U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Nagle. Her son has been charged with 37 counts of arson and is expected to return to court Jan. 24. He's being held on 2.85 million and could face additional charges, prosecutors said. With files from CBC News

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