Aspiring hip-hop artist ‘Dank Frank’ charged with setting fire to houses owned by South Carolina's Republican governor

Aspiring hip-hop artist ‘Dank Frank’ charged with setting fire to houses owned by South Carolina's Republican governor

"He says he does not understand what's going on."

Image source: Courtesy of Columbia, S.C., Police Department

A 21-year-old man from Columbia, South Carolina, has been arrested in connection with a fire that affected two rental properties owned by Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

Frank John Wilberding moved back to South Carolina earlier this year after temporarily relocating to Los Angeles with the hope of launching a hip-hop career under the stage name "Dank Frank," according to a Wednesday story from the Charleston Post & Courier.

The fire that Wilberding has been charged in connection with occurred early Tuesday morning near Columbia's popular Five Points area. The blaze, which affected two residences, displaced at least 12 people and caused "hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage," according to the Columbia Fire Department.

Wilberding is expected to face a bond hearing on Thursday for two counts of arson and one drug possession charge. Local authorities have not yet released a motive, though they do not believe that the buildings were targeted because McMaster owns them.

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