Owner of St. Cloud bar federally indicted for arson, insurance fraud scheme
Smoke rises from The Press Bar and Parlor in St. Cloud on Feb. 17, 2020.[KSTP/Ashley Zilka]
The owner of a St. Cloud bar is has been federally indicted for allegedly burning down the bar for insurance money.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 41-year-old Andrew Charles Welsh is charged with arson, use of fire to commit a federal felony and wire fraud.
Welsh was arrested Friday and made his court appearance the same day.
St. Cloud bar owner charged with intentionally setting fire; bail set
The indictment alleges Welsh, who owned The Press Bar and Parlor, used an ignitable liquid on Feb. 17 to start a fire in the basement of the bar. Eventually, the fire spread and destroyed the building.
On Feb. 24, Welsh retained a public insurance adjuster to help prepare, present and adjust his insurance claims related to the fire. Two days later, he claimed he was entitled to a $1,430,123.28 insurance payment to cover the loss of the bar and other losses in the fire.
Welsh was charged in Stearns County in March.