![Minnesota Bar Owner Sent to Federal Prison For Arson](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2020/02/IMG_1490.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Minnesota Bar Owner Sent to Federal Prison For Arson
![KFIL logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/KFILFM.png?w=100)
St. Cloud, MN (KROC-AM News) - The owner of what had been a well-known bar in central Minnesota has been sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison for setting the business on fire.
43-year-old Andrew Welsh previously entered a guilty plea to a federal arson charge for setting the fire in hopes of collecting on an insurance policy. He is also been ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution.
Welsh was the owner of the Press Bar and Parlor in St. Cloud. It had been a popular establishment for students attending nearby St. Cloud State University. The arson fire on February 17, 2020 totally destroyed the building. Federal prosecutors say Welsh ignited the blaze after pouring gasoline in his basement office.
Court records indicate Welsh later submitted an insurance claim for losses associated with the fire and falsely claimed the "loss did not originate by any act, design, or procurement" on his part.
LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades
More From KFIL
![Minnesotans Have Already Requested 286,000 Absentee Ballots](http://townsquare.media/site/669/files/2018/05/GettyImages-458392928.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Application Fees to be Waived at Rochester Area Colleges](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2020/03/computers.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Lots Of Cash Up For Grabs at Rochester’s First and Biggest Costume Contest](http://townsquare.media/site/717/files/2021/11/attachment-ROT-Halloween-Costume-Conte.gif?w=980&q=75)
![How to Watch the Vikings-Saints London Game in Minnesota](http://townsquare.media/site/719/files/2022/09/attachment-Football-London.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Note Found At Rochester School Threatens School Shooting](http://townsquare.media/site/715/files/2021/08/attachment-PXL_20210519_231834067.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![40 Years Ago: ‘Cheers’ Debuts With a Perfect Pilot Episode](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2022/09/attachment-GettyImages-138362373.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Community’ Will Finally Get Its Long-Promised Movie](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2022/09/attachment-COM_609-20150217-JL_0428.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![You Have to See Least Staged Home for Sale in Rochester](http://townsquare.media/site/715/files/2022/09/attachment-pdl23tp-39.jpeg?w=980&q=75)
![Over 108,000 Fentanyl Pills Seized in Minnesota Arrest](http://townsquare.media/site/669/files/2022/09/attachment-2022-09-30_05-59-02.jpg?w=980&q=75)