MN man gets nearly 6 years for setting fire to his business

The owner of a St. Cloud bar has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to setting the business on fire.

Forty-three-year-old Andrew Welsh of St. Joseph (MN), owner of the Press Bar and Parlor, pleaded guilty in May to one count of arson.

The U-S Attorney’s Office says it was part of a scheme to obtain insurance money.

The fire occurred in February 2020. Court documents say Welsh dumped an accelerant all over his basement office before setting it ablaze and fleeing the scene. The fire destroyed the building and heavily damaged other nearby businesses.

Later, Welsh filed a claim saying that he was due $1.4 million … and that he had no role in starting the fire.

Welsh was also ordered to pay $3 million restitution.