Three men were sentenced to prison for setting several Mississippi and Alabama Walmart stores on fire in 2021.

WHAT WE KNOW:

Jeffery Sikes, a.k.a. “Kenneth Allen,” 42, to serve 216 months in prison.

Alexander Olson, 23, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison.

Quinton Olson,  22, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison.

Sikes pleaded guilty to wire fraud in Nebraska but fled to Alabama with Alexander and Quinton Olson. While in Alabama, Sikes and his co-defendants planned to set fire to Walmart stores. They held several meetings, including one where they drafted a document titled the Declaration of War and Demands for the People, containing demands and threats against Walmart locations. Alexander Olson and Quinton Olson also participated in the planning meetings.

Four Walmart locations were then set on fire by multiple people, with Jeffery Sikes and Alexander Olson setting fire to one location, and Alexander Olson was present at all four locations.

After a months-long investigation, the accused were arrested in February 2022 and pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy to set these malicious fires.

According to United States Attorney Sean P. Costello, the three defendants purposefully put innocent shoppers at risk and caused extensive damage to property by igniting fires in four stores across two states.

The act of setting fire to a business is not a matter of economic or political disagreement, but a severe violent crime that comes with grave repercussions. The FBI’s exceptional work in carrying out a complex investigation resulted in the capture of these criminals, and their persistence, creativity, and professionalism were evident throughout the process.