A Houston restaurant owner was charged with three federal accusations as part of an explosion in a popular bar belonging to his trading partner, said federal officials.
A press release from American lawyer’s office in Houston Said that Lydell Price, 42, Armani Williams, 27 and John Lee Price, 39, was arrested as part of the 2020 explosion and accused of plotting to install the fire at the 5015 bar.
Lyndell Price is the former owner of the turkey leg hut and the current owner of the hyster hut. The 5015 bar belonged to the Price trading partner, also the former co -owner of Turkey Leg Hut.
The three men face accusations of conspiracy to commit a criminal fire and a criminal fire. If they are convicted, they could incur up to 25 years in prison. Lyndell Price and John Price could incur five years in prison if they were found guilty of conspiracy in order to use an interstate installation to commit a criminal fire of a vehicle.
USA Today could not immediately find a lawyer representing men.
All three appear in court
According to Khou 11The three men appeared on Friday in court. After hearing the accusations brought against them, they were released while waiting for the dates of short judicials to come.
Letitia Quinons-Hollins, John Price’s lawyer, addressed the accusations in the comments of the local media Kprc.
“This is a classic example of being very attentive to the company you keep,” said Hinons-Hollins. “Sometimes the company you keep can cause you to trouble.”
She also said that although Lyndell Price and John Price share the same name, they are not linked.
On Friday, Quinons-Hollins did not respond to the request for comments from USA TODAY.
What happened?
The charge documents allege that Price recruited and paid a group of people, including Williams and John Price, to pay petrol on the entrance ramp of the 5015 bar and set it on fire.
According to the indictment, early in the morning of June 12, 2020, Williams and an “nameless co-conspirator” bought petrol, gas cans and facial coverings during a truck stop in Houston.
They then arrived on the area of the bar bridge and sprayed the bridge and the entrance ramp before lighting a piece of paper and putting everything on fire, according to the indictment. Investigators say that Williams called Lyndell Price to tell him that “the criminal fire was over”.
According to local mediaThe fire led to an explosion at the bar which left a “debris field and several small fires”.
In the same indictment, investigators also allege that Lyndell Price paid for John Price and others to install fire to a 1975 Chevy Nova which was stolen in a automotive repair workshop.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a news journalist for USA Today. Reach it to fernando.certant@gannett.com and follow it on x @Fern_Cerv_.