A Rochester man who fled with his wife to Mexico after being charged with setting fire to a St. Paul school and two stores during the rioting that followed George Floyd's murder has pleaded guilty.
Rochester man pleads guilty to torching St. Paul school, stores
Prosecutors say he also set fire to two stores during rioting after George Floyd's murder while in police custody.
February 28, 2022 at 2:35PM
Jose A. Felan Jr., 35, pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Minneapolis to arson in connection with the fires set May 28, 2020, three days after Floyd's death in Minneapolis. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
Felan and his wife, Mena Dhaya Yousif, 23, were detained by authorities in Mexico after the U.S. Marshals Service located them in February 2021.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released photos and videos of the couple about a month after the fires and offered a $20,000 reward for their capture. The bureau said they were known to wear wigs, hair extensions and hats as disguises while hiding out in Mexico.
Felan and Yousif were accused of setting fire to Gordon Parks High School and a Goodwill store in the 1200 block of W. University Avenue and 7 Mile Sportswear in the 500 block.
Surveillance video showed Felan and a third defendant, Mohamed Hussein Abdi, setting fire to the school, according to the criminal complaint against Abdi.
Abdi, of Maplewood, was seen pouring clear liquid on the cafeteria floor and into a trash can before starting a fire using a "liquid-soaked garment," his charges read.
Felan did the same outside the cafeteria door with a chemical he had in a bag, according to the complaint.
Similar evidence was found at the charred school and the Goodwill store, where Felan was seen starting a fire minutes before the school was set ablaze, the charges against Abdi read.
Felan has a criminal record that includes drug offenses, burglary and aggravated assault, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Abdi, 20, was sentenced in early February to five years' probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. He also was ordered to pay more than $34,000 in damage restitution.
Yousif was with Felan when he set the fires and helped him escape capture. In September, she pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact.
A sentencing date for Yousif is pending. Her attorney, Bruce Rivers, has asked that she be sentenced to probation.
Rivers wrote that Yousif was ostracized from her family by Felan and "was essentially under the spell and control of her husband."
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