Man Gets 2 Years In Prison For Burning St. Paul Nutrition Store Amid Unrest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 21-year-old Twin Cities man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in burning a St. Paul nutrition store during the unrest in May of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

The U.S. Attorney's Office District of Minnesota says that Samuel Frey was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison and to pay more than $33,000 in restitution for his role in burning a nutrition store on St. Paul's University Avenue. After Frey completes his prison time, he'll be on supervised release for two years.

This past July, Frey pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson, prosecutors say.

According to investigators, Frey, who was 19 at the time of the incident, aiding in burning Great Health and Nutrition on May 28, 2020. Frey poured a bottle of hand sanitizer onto a shelving unit and lit it on fire with a burning piece of paper. As the flames grew, he poured more hand sanitizer on the fire.

Another person charged in the arson was 21-year-old McKenzy Ann DeGidio Dunn. She also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and was sentenced to three years probation and to pay roughly $31,000 in restitution.