Crime & Safety
MN Man Owes $3 Million After Burning Down His Own Bar: Feds
The bar owner schemed to obtain $1,000,000 but he now must pay $3,000,000, according to authorities.
ST. CLOUD, MN — A St. Cloud bar owner must pay more than $3 million and serve time in federal prison after admitting to intentionally burning down his own bar to obtain insurance money, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced.
Andrew Charles Welsh, 43, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty to one count of arson in May.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced Welsh to just under six years in prison and ordered him to pay $3,093,373.52 in restitution.
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On Feb. 17, 2020, Welsh used gasoline to set a fire in his office located in the basement of Press Bar and Parlor, according to authorities
The fire eventually spread and resulted in the total destruction of the building as well as other losses, according to investigators. Video of the fire was recorded and shared on YouTube.
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Welsh claimed he was entitled to $1,430,123 in insurance money for the loss of his bar, authorities said.
In submitting his insurance claim, he falesly stated that the loss "did not originate by any act, design, or procurement on the part of your insured," according to investigators.
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