A Wayzata man was sentenced Wednesday to three-plus years in prison for pouring gasoline on a fire that leveled a Wells Fargo Bank branch in south Minneapolis amid chants of "Burn it down!" during the unrest following George Floyd's murder.
For pouring gas on burning bank during George Floyd unrest, Wayzata man gets 3 years in prison
He poured gas on blaze at Wells Fargo during unrest after George Floyd's death.
June 2, 2021 at 10:08PM
Marc B. Gonzales' sentence in U.S. District Court in St. Paul for the May 29 torching of the bank across the street from the Minneapolis Police Department's Fifth Precinct headquarters also includes three years of supervised release.
The sentence of three years and one month in prison from Judge Eric Tostrud affirmed the prosecution's argument in a recent court filing, when they wrote that Gonzales "participated in a highly destructive act of arson that placed the lives of bystanders, protesters, law enforcement and firefighters at great risk."
In further support for the amount of prison time being sought, prosecutors argued that it "will provide both specific deterrence to the defendant and general deterrence to others who might pause before joining in a destructive frenzy like that seen following the death of Mr. Floyd."
Video obtained by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows Gonzales at the bank near Nicollet and S. 1st Avenue "carrying a gasoline container over his head [and] emerging from a large crowd of people chanting 'Burn it down! Burn it down!' " the prosecution's filing pointed out.
Gonzales pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit arson. The crime occurred while he was on probation for a 2019 drunken driving conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He also has an armed robbery conviction on his record from Orange County, Calif., the prosecution pointed out to the court.
The defense's presentencing filing argued that Gonzales should receive closer to 2 ¼ years in prison. It pointed out that he took full responsibility for his actions and his criminal history does not show a persistent pattern of breaking the law.
As for why his client did what he did that night, defense attorney Kassius Benson wrote that Gonzales "had been out for his birthday and participating in peaceful protests. As he was doing so, he was under the influence of alcohol, felt the energy in the air and wanted to be part of the movement."
"Being swept up in the moment, he grabbed a gas can and poured it on a fire that had been started at the Wells Fargo branch."
Last week, 22-year-old Alexander S. Heil of Monticello was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison for throwing a traffic cone and a beer can into the fire.
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