Andrew Charles Welsh, Arson, Minnesota 2020

A St. Cloud business owner has pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fire to his own establishment, according to federal authorities.

Andrew Charles Welsh, 42, the owner and operator of the Press Bar and Parlor in St. Cloud, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to one count of arson in U.S. District Court.

According to court documents, Welsh used gasoline to set a fire in his office located in the basement of the Press Bar on February 17, 2020. The fire eventually spread and resulted in the total destruction of the building and other losses.

Welsh retained a Public Insurance Adjuster to assist in the preparation, presentation, and adjustment of insurance claims related to the fire at Press Bar. He then claimed that he was entitled to payment from the insurance company in the amount of $1,430,123.28 for property damage and other losses related to the fire.

However, Welsh admitted that in submitting the insurance claim, he falsely stated that the loss did not originate by any act, design, or procurement on the part of your insured, when, as Welsh knew, his arson of the Press Bar caused the loss for which he sought compensation.

Welsh pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the St. Cloud Police Department, the St. Cloud Fire Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshals, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Stearns County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Evan B. Gilead are prosecuting the case.

The defendant is charged with one count of arson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i), which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The defendant maintained a business owner’s insurance policy on the business and used the insurance money to fund his scheme.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/owner-st-cloud-press-bar-pleads-guilty-arson