Former Pot Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Arson, Home Invasion in Beverly Hills

A former West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary operator is facing 25 years in state prison when he is sentenced next month for a long-running conspiracy to seek revenge on his former landlord.

Andrew Harrison Kramer, 39, of West Hollywood, is also facing restitution that could total as much as $1 million, according to Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose.

Kramer pleaded guilty Thursday to one count each of conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery, stalking and attempt to burn, along with three counts of arson of an inhabited structure and two counts of arson, along with allegations that an accelerant was used.

Kramer admitting hiring others who in turn attacked his former landlord, George Lanning, and members of Lanning's family, including his wife and three adult children, according to the prosecutor.

The family's Beverly Hills home was set ablaze on two occasions between July 2008 and September 2012; a family-owned house under construction on San Vicente Boulevard was destroyed in an arson fire; and two Molotov cocktails were thrown onto an apartment roof above the West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary, according to the District Attorney's Office.

On another occasion, four men entered the family's Beverly Hills home and struck Lanning's wife, Nansee, in the head with a metal bar and punched and kicked his son, Justin, according to the prosecution.

The attacks were investigated by the Beverly Hills Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

--City News Service