Racine Man Sentenced To Prison In Kenosha Furniture Store Burning

RACINE, WI — A Racine man was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit arson during the August 2020 unrest in Kenosha.

A grand jury charged Devon Vaughn, 23, in connection with the burning of B&L Office Furniture. He pleaded guilty last year, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

On Aug. 24, 2020, Vaughn "maliciously damaged, destroyed, and attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire, a building located at 1101 60th Street, Kenosha," a federal indictment against him said.

Along with the prison sentence, Vaughn was ordered to pay over $1.7 million in restitution to B&L Office Furniture and West Bend Insurance, court documents showed.

The judge who sentenced Vaughn, U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, said the fire at B&L Office Furniture frightened the family who started the business and caused nearly $2 million in damage, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Joshua Uller, Vaughn's attorney, said he acted "entirely out of his character," according to the paper.

The Department of Justice announced Vaughn's indictment in 2021, alongside the indictments of three others accused of attempting to start fires in Kenosha during the unrest.

The unrest came amid demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer. Blake survived but was left paralyzed.

Several buildings in Kenosha were burned or vandalized during or after the demonstrations.

Blake's civil lawsuit, arguing the officer who shot him used excessive force, was dismissed in May.

Reporting by The Associated Press was used in this report.

SEE ALSO:

Jacob Blake's Excessive Force Lawsuit Against Kenosha Officer Dropped

Kenosha Officer Cleared In Blake Shooting Returns To Police Duty

Feds Won't Pursue Charges Against Kenosha Cop In Blake Shooting

Rittenhouse Acquitted In Fatal Kenosha Protest Shooting