A Minnesota man who helped start a fire at a police station in Minneapolis during a protest following the death of George Floyd has been sentenced to four years in jail and fined $12 million.
Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson last year after admitting to lighting a Molotov cocktail that another individual tossed into the Third Precinct building, which is where the officers involved in the death of Floyd worked. No officers or protesters were injured in the blaze, but the building suffered heavy damage.
“On the night of May 28, 2020, Mr. Robinson chose to depart from lawful protest and instead engaged in violence and destruction. The arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct put lives at risk and contributed to widespread lawlessness in Minneapolis,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk. “With today’s sentence, Mr. Robinson is held accountable for his actions.”
William J. Mauzy, Robinson's lawyer, said he was disappointed with the harsh sentence.
“He is bearing the sentence for the other thousand people who participated,” Mauzy said in an interview with the New York Times. “Many others, far more culpable than Mr. Robinson, were not identified. He had no role in throwing any Molotov cocktails or constructing any or building any.”
Three co-conspirators, Bryce Michael Williams, 27, Davon De-Andre Turner, 25, and Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and will be sentenced at a later date.
Photo: U.S. Attorney's Office District of Minnesota