Wayne County couple charged with hate crime/house explosion hoax

STERLING, Ohio – Federal court documents show investigators believe Wayne County resident Angela Frase intentionally blew up her home to defraud an insurance company.

The seven-page court filing shows that Frase and her husband hatched the plan to defraud and obtain money and property under false pretenses. She was charged with four counts of mail fraud.

Community members raised thousands for the couple, who claimed they were victims of a series of hate crimes.

In one incident, Frase reported to police that a rag doll with a noose around its neck was left in her mailbox.

The Sterling Fire Department responded to a fire on Spruce Street in Sterling, Ohio just after midnight on August 7, 2019.

“I got a call last night, it was 12:47 and I remember thinking, 'Who's calling me at one in the morning?' “It was my neighbor and he thought lightning had hit the house,” Frase told 3News in an interview after the explosion. You can follow their conversation with us below.

Documents show the Sterling Fire Department was also on scene Aug. 6 for a reported natural gas leak.

RELATED: WATCH | Bodycam video shows moments after home explosion in Wayne County

Investigators determined that on Aug. 6, about an hour before the house exploded, Frase left the hotel where she was staying and drove to the house.

The documents show the Ohio State Fire Marshall's office found racist graffiti and a swastika symbol on the home's garage.

RELATED: Racial slurs, swastika painted at Wayne County house explosion site; Authorities investigating hate crimes

Investigators revealed that Frase did not tell law enforcement that she was in the house shortly before the explosion. She told them that, according to the documents, she did not leave her hotel that evening.

Frase told investigators that days later, on Aug. 11, she went to the home to check on her cats and spotted two people near her garage, according to the documents.

Investigators then discovered the words “White Power” on the side of the garage. A neighbor reportedly told police that they had not seen anyone in the area.

Days later, on August 14, Frase reported to police that she found a doll in her mailbox with a noose around its neck.

About a week later, on August 23, Frase reported to police that they found an envelope marked “THE” and an unknown white substance on the inside.

In March 2020, Frase and her husband claimed the fire was caused by an “apparent explosion” of “unknown origin,” without any witnesses at the insurance company, the documents say.

The documents show the insurance company paid the couple more than a quarter of a million dollars. The documents also show that Frase made additional reports to the Sterling Fire Department and reported another fire at the home about a month before the explosion.

Our team has reached out to Frase's attorney for comment. You can read the court filings below.