Marco Anderson Bia
Introduction
Marco Anderson Bia, 21, of Tsaile, Arizona, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has been found guilty of arson by a federal jury for breaking into the Student Union Building of Diné College and setting it on fire in April 2025. The evidence at trial showed that Bia took items from inside the building and set the fire to leave no trace behind that he had been inside, per the Justice Department’s announcement. Sentencing is scheduled for January 11, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa, and the arson conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged property, whichever is greater, or both.
Background Information
Diné College, where the fire took place, was established in 1968 by the Navajo Nation as the first tribally controlled community college in the United States, and it is the largest tribally controlled community college in the nation, according to the announcement. The college sits in Tsaile, Arizona, the same community where Bia lives. The fire he was convicted of setting occurred on April 14, 2025, when he broke into the Student Union Building, a facility the college’s own statement describes as central to student and community services.
The case was investigated by the FBI Phoenix Division’s Gallup office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Navajo Nation Criminal Investigator’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Doyle and Christina J. Reid-Moore prosecuted the case in the District of Arizona.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted; sentencing pending. A federal jury convicted Bia of arson for the April 14, 2025 fire at Diné College’s Student Union Building. Sentencing follows in January 2027.
The trial evidence, as summarized in the announcement, established that on April 14, 2025, Bia broke into the Student Union Building, took items from inside, and set fire to the structure to destroy any trace of his presence. The jury’s verdict — announced in a release updated October 31, 2026, after a trial before the district court — found him guilty of arson, the single charged offense described in the release. The consequences of the fire extended well past the night of the blaze, per the college’s own account in the announcement.
“The destruction of the Student Union Building disrupted essential student and community services, displaced numerous departments, and created operational challenges that continue today,” said a representative of Diné College. “With the jury’s guilty verdict, we believe that justice has been served. While no verdict can restore what was lost or erase the pain experienced by our College community, this outcome represents an important step toward accountability and closure.”
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine called Diné College “a historic symbol of the Navajo Nation” and said the jury’s verdict “is the strongest declaration of justice in American law,” adding that the District of Arizona “will go to any length and try any case to secure justice for victims like Diné College.”
“The deliberate actions committed by Mr. Bia will not be tolerated. The arson at Diné College Student Union devastated the Navajo community’s capacity to thrive and support their students’ education, leaving a wound that will take years to heal,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day. ATF Special Agent in Charge A. J. Gibes added that “arson is a violent crime that not only endangers lives but also destroys community institutions, erases important legacies, and threatens our shared sense of safety,” citing the deliberate burning of a historic and culturally significant location.
Current Status
Bia was found guilty “last week” as of the announcement’s October 31, 2026 update, and awaits his January 11, 2027 sentencing before Judge Humetewa. The arson conviction’s statutory maximum — 25 years and a fine of $250,000 or the greater cost of repairing or replacing what was destroyed — frames the exposure he faces at sentencing. The case is docketed under number 25-CR-08189-PCT-DJH in the District of Arizona. The announcement reports no statement from Bia or a defense attorney, and the college states its operational challenges from the fire continue as of the release.
Impact on Their Career/Life
At 21, Bia faces a sentencing that could measure decades, for the burning of the signature institution of the nation of which he is an enrolled member. The trial record establishes the fire’s cost in institutional terms — displaced departments, disrupted services, and challenges the college says persist more than a year later — and the conviction itself is permanent. The January 2027 sentencing will determine the term; the verdict already fixes the account of what happened to the Student Union Building on April 14, 2025, and who was responsible for it.