Fire at George Floyd protest gets man 2-year prison sentence
A Parma man CLEVELAND — will spend two years in federal prison for torching a parking attendant’s booth during the May 30, 2020, riot in downtown Cleveland during the protest of the police killing of George Floyd.
Seth Calig, 51, said he took testosterone on the morning of the riot, picked up his son from work and drove downtown, where he encountered a chaotic scene — police firing tear gas and rubber bullets and people setting police cruisers on fire and breaking windows.
In a manic fit, he helped set fire to the booth while his 18-year-old son looked on, he said during his sentencing hearing. When U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent asked why he was so upset that day, Calig replied:
“I was angry that man had been killed,” Calig said, referring to Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. He later clarified that he was “upset but not that upset.”
Calig’s sentence for conspiring to commit arson — which includes paying $220 restitution for the damage caused by the fire — marks the end of federal prosecutors’ cases against people charged in the riot. The chaos that ensued after police and protestors clashed at the Justice Center led to then-Mayor Frank Jackson calling in the National Guard, imposing travel restrictions in downtown Cleveland and ordering a mandatory curfew.
Three others convicted of crimes during the riot were sentenced to between three and four years in prison. One died of an overdose after pleading guilty in his case, and two had their charges dropped. Dozens of others were charged in county or municipal court. Most of those cases ended in fines or the dropping of charges.
Calig, a father of five who often made a six-figure salary as a car salesman, said he struggled for years with drug addiction. He said he heard an advertisement on the radio for men with low testosterone and decided to buy the drug from a co-worker.
He injected the drug into his thigh that morning and said it kicked in when he reached downtown.
“It was very hectic, chaotic, intense,” Calig said. “And I did what I did.”
Prosecutors said Calig lit a roll of paper towels on fire and dropped it into the booth at a parking lot on West 3rd Street. He and others stood around waiting for the booth to ignite.
Calig’s attorneys argued for Calig to be sentenced to house arrest. They said he only had one misdemeanor conviction on his record. They also said he struggled for years with drug addiction but still provided for his family and was a good father.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Galvin argued that Calig should receive prison time and appeared to blame others for his own misdeeds, rather than take responsibility for his actions.
She said Calig held a steady, well-paying job and that he told probation officers that he didn’t like the side effects or cost of drugs prescribed to treat depression. Instead, she said, he turned to illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Calig’s son, who was standing nearby when his father lit the blaze, was fired from his job after his boss saw photos of him circulated online by investigators looking for tips.
Galvin also pointed out that Seth Calig tested positive for cocaine during mandatory drug testing after he pleaded guilty in the case.
“The government appreciates that of the events on May 30, this is far from the most dangerous or concerning,” Galvin said. “There were many other terrible events before and after, but this is about one man’s actions.”