St. Paul Man Gets Prison, $12M Restitution in MPD 3rd Precinct Arson
A St. Paul man was sentenced Tuesday to 41 months in prison and was ordered to pay $12 million for his role in the arsons at the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building last May.
According to court documents, on the night of May 28, 2020, Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, went to the 3rd Precinct, where a crowd of hundreds had gathered after George Floyd’s death. Wolfe entered the building and stole several items including a police vest, duty belt, handcuffs, earpiece, baton, knife, riot helmet, pistol magazine, police radio, police overdose kit, uniform name plates and ammunition. He was arrested on June 3, 2020, after being spotted wearing the police vest, the duty belt and carrying the tactical baton in St. Paul.
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“Wolfe crossed the line and engaged in criminal activity during the evening the 3rd Precinct building was burned down last May. People who choose to engage in violent activity during protests may believe they are anonymous, but they are mistaken and will be held accountable for their crimes,” said Michael Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office.
In December, Wolfe pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson. As part of his sentencing, Wolfe was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay $12 million in restitution.
Co-conspirators Bryce Michael Williams, 27, and Davon De-Andre Turner, 25, have all pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit arson for their roles in the arson. They will be sentenced at a later date.
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