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.
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.