Three college honor students will be spending their summer break in prison but have been spared felony convictions for setting fire to a vacant warehouse in East Lyme on Jan. 8, 2010.

Christian Bardoli, Matias Francone and Alexander Tsuji pleaded guilty in New London Superior Court Monday to second-degree criminal mischief and first-degree reckless endangerment and are headed to prison for 90 days. Their attorneys had worked out a plea agreement with prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla and Judge Patrick J. Clifford. They each received two-year prison sentences, suspended after 90 days served, and two years of probation.

Tytla said it was one of the most perplexing cases he has seen because the three young men are excellent students who have long performed community service and been involved in extracurricular activities.

"Any parents would be proud to have them as sons," Tytla said. Yet the mindlessness of their act was "totally perplexing," he added, and there was a real possibility that someone could have been injured or killed. While fighting the smoky blaze, firefighter Chuck Holyfield was taken to the hospital for treatment of chest pains.

Bardoli, 19, of Vero Beach, Fla., was visiting during winter break with Francone, 19, of East Lyme, who was his roommate at American University in Washington, D.C. Francone and Tsuji, who attends the University of Connecticut, had attended East Lyme High School together.

The three were watching a college championship football game when they hatched a plan to set fire to the vacant, steel-framed warehouse at 16 Mostowy Road that had formerly been used by J.C. Penney. Afterwards, they could not explain what went through their minds, according to one of their attorneys.

Investigators found the fire had been set in five areas of the building, which was demolished almost immediately after the fire, Tytla said. The owner had been planning a housing development on the site and planned to demolish the building eventually, he added.

Later on the day of the fire, a police officer who had been assigned to stand watch at the scene saw a car driving by slowly, according to Tytla. The driver fled when the officer shone a spotlight on the car. The officer followed the car and noticed someone throwing gas cans out the window. The three men were apprehended and admitted they had set the fire.

While their cases were pending, their attorneys bombarded the prosecutor and judge with proof of the men's academic accomplishments, good deeds and remorse. In addition to their high grade-point averages, the men have extensive volunteer records, including tutoring children and working at soup kitchens, helping disaster victims and working with church groups and Habitat for Humanity.

Attorneys Ronald F. Stevens and Jeffrey A. McNamara arranged a meeting among Bardoli, Francone and the firefighter Holyfield, who spoke with them about the seriousness of the case. Tsuji, represented by attorney Paul F. Chinigo, was unable to attend. Stevens said both of the young men were "in tears" during the meeting, and they won over Holyfield, who wanted to see them volunteer for the fire department rather than go to prison.

All three expressed their remorse to the community and their families in statements to Clifford. The judge said they were an impressive group that put their families and themselves through hell.

"This is one of those situations where good people do bad things," he said.

Clifford also said he struggled with the plea deal. "The biggest problem I've had from the minute I heard about this case is, because of the backgrounds you have and all this work you've done at these prestigious universities, are you being treated differently?" he said.

He said it was difficult to find a balance, but with the acceptance of the firefighter and property owner, the deal was approved.

"They do have misdemeanor convictions and they are going to jail," Clifford said as he imposed the sentence.

With that, the three men waved goodbye to their families and surrendered themselves to the judicial marshals.

k.florin@theday.com