A Tampa man has been convicted of setting fire to a sporting goods store and shopping center in the University area during unrest that followed protests over the death of George Floyd last year.
Court records show 20-year-old Terrance Lee Hester Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday in Tampa federal court to damaging or destroying by fire a building used in interstate commerce.
He faces between five and 20 years in prison.
Officials say surveillance video showed Hester throwing a flaming piece of cloth through a broken window of a Champs Sports store at 2301 East Fowler Avenue on May 31, 2020.
The damage to the store and other businesses in the plaza was estimated at $1.25 million.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
