GREENBELT — A St. Mary’s County man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to setting the fire that burned the humidor of a Waldorf hookah and cigar lounge last fall, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Shawn Justice, 38, of Avenue, pleaded guilty to one count of arson in the fire at Pasha Lounge, a bar and hookah establishment in Waldorf. The business suffered more than $80,000 in losses, prosecutors said.
Justice faces up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore J. Chuang scheduled sentencing for 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 5, 2027. Federal sentences are typically less than the maximum, and the judge will weigh the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors, the office noted.
What he admitted
According to his plea, Justice went into the lounge through the front door on Oct. 29, 2025, and headed to the humidor, the climate-controlled room where cigars are stored. Inside, he scattered cigars on the floor and poured liquor over them. He then lit a roll of paper towels and tossed it onto the alcohol-soaked cigars, and the humidor went up in flames.
The Chronicle reported at the time that the Waldorf lounge blaze was set by an intruder. Waldorf volunteer firefighters responded to an alarm and found the front door forced open, and deputy state fire marshals traced the fire to the humidor room and ruled it intentionally set. Initial reports dated the fire Oct. 30; the federal plea gives the date as Oct. 29.
From state charges to federal court
The case started in state court. In January, the Chronicle reported that the Waldorf lounge arson led to two arrests. Justice was charged then with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, second-degree burglary and malicious destruction of property. A lounge employee was also charged in the state case with conspiracy. The federal announcement does not mention her, and the status of the state charges was not immediately clear.
Federal prosecutors can bring arson cases when the property is used in or affects interstate commerce, as businesses typically are. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the plea with ATF Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer and State Fire Marshal Chief Caroll H. Spriggs II. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Treiger is prosecuting.
The plea comes days before the one-year mark of the fire. Justice remains due back before Chuang in March for sentencing.
