The federal arson case against Roanoke businessman Jay Aneja took another step forward Tuesday as a former employee pleaded guilty to setting the fire that destroyed Aneja's family's furniture store last year -- and testified that Aneja hired him to do it.

Michael Antwan Lee, 43, of Roanoke entered guilty pleas to maliciously using fire to damage a building and to being a felon in possession of a gun.

Federal investigators blame Lee, Sidney Montre Terry, 24, and Jason Ronald Varona, 22, with helping Aneja burn his family's Weekend Sofa Outlet store on Williamson Road in August.

Aneja and his wife run the 7-to-7 Grocery on Campbell Avenue and a jewelry store in Altavista.

Weekend Sofa Outlet was owned by Aneja's stepmother, but he was listed as its vice president on a city business license. Aneja's wife, Shama Aneja, has said her husband wanted to help relatives with the store but spent little time there and was hardly involved in its operations.

Prosecutors say Jay Aneja paid Lee, who worked on security systems at Aneja's businesses, $3,000 to burn the furniture store. Lee recruited Terry and Varona, according to a scenario outlined by Julia Dudley, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, at a news conference called last month to announce indictments in the case.

The men filled a truck with furniture they planned to sell in Richmond, and Lee and Terry returned to the store to start several fires, prosecutors said.

No one was injured in the resulting blaze, but the store -- which Aneja's family rented -- and adjacent businesses sustained more than $800,000 in damage.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennie Waering said Tuesday that Aneja is thought to be in New Delhi, India. His wife has said he will return to face charges, which include mail and wire fraud related to an insurance claim filed after the fire, and falsely representing himself as a U.S. citizen.

Aneja, a native of India, is a citizen of Canada, prosecutors and his wife have said.

Aneja also is accused of giving a firearm to Lee despite Lee's felony record.

Lee's prior criminal history warrants an armed career criminal designation, prosecutors said. That will bring a minimum 15-year prison term unless he helps the government in prosecuting others and a judge decides the assistance warrants a lighter sentence.

Sentencing has not been scheduled for Lee.