Former Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jonathan Weinhagen, a frequent donor to Democrat Governor Tim Walz, has been indicted on 5 federal counts of financial institution and wire fraud for allegedly embezzling greater than $200,000 from the chamber and stealing $30,000 meant to assist remedy little one homicide instances.
In line with federal prosecutors, Weinhagen carried out a six-year scheme between December 2019 and June 2024, utilizing pretend firms, fraudulent contracts, and even a phony obituary to cowl his tracks.
In line with FOX 9, Weinhagen ran an elaborate fraud operation from December 2019 by means of June 2024, when he abruptly left his place on the Chamber. Prosecutors allege that Weinhagen created a pretend consulting firm referred to as Synergy Companions and used an alias, James Sullivan, to funnel cash to himself.
He additionally allegedly:
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Opened a $125,000 line of credit score within the chamber’s title and funneled the cash into his pretend firm.
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Faked the loss of life of his alias, publishing an obituary for “James Sullivan” when the chamber started asking questions.
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Diverted $30,000 in reward cash that had been donated to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to assist remedy the capturing deaths of three youngsters in 2021 — crimes that stay unsolved.
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Tried to fraudulently get hold of a $54,661 mortgage from SoFi Financial institution by claiming he labored for a restaurant group and earned $425,000 yearly — each lies.
Federal prosecutors say the entire embezzled quantity exceeds $200,000.
Weinhagen additionally stole a complete of $30,000 in reward cash that had been earmarked to assist discover suspects.
KSTP reported:
In spring 2021, a sequence of shootings in north Minneapolis killed two youngsters, 6-year-old Aniya Allen and 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, and injured a 3rd, 10-year-old Ladavionne Garrett Jr.
Shortly after the shootings, the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce partnered with Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to supply up $10,000 rewards for info that helped remedy every of the victims’ instances — $30,000 in total.
A yr later, all three shootings had been nonetheless unresolved, and no reward cash had been doled out.
Weinhagen allegedly requested Crime Stoppers to return the cash the Chamber of Commerce had donated and satisfied the group to ship a test for $30,000 to his house handle. He then deposited the cash for his personal use, charging paperwork state.
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Weinhagen can be accused of falsifying his revenue to use for a mortgage by means of SoFi Financial institution after his departure from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber.
In January, Weinhagen allegedly utilized for a $54,661 mortgage whereas falsely claiming to work for a restaurant holding firm with an annual revenue of $425,000.
As a part of the scheme, he allegedly gave SoFi Financial institution a fraudulent paystub. The financial institution didn’t approve the mortgage.
The Center of the American Experiment, a Minnesota-based conservative assume tank, reported that between 2021 and 2023, marketing campaign finance information present that Weinhagen donated at the very least $6,000 to Governor Tim Walz’s reelection marketing campaign and affiliated political committees.
The information outlet reported that “Weinhagen made $9,500 in marketing campaign donations over the previous decade.”
Because the scandal exploded, Weinhagen quietly resigned from his place on the Mounds View Faculty Board, the place he had served for over a decade. The board launched a short assertion Thursday confirming his speedy resignation:
“We’ve acquired discover that Jonathan Weinhagen has resigned from the varsity board of Mounds View Public Colleges, efficient instantly. The board will focus on subsequent steps to fill the rest of the vacated time period…”
WATCH:
WOW: Jonathan Weinhagen, former Minneapolis Chamber CEO and frequent Tim Walz donor, has been indicted on 5 counts of financial institution and wire fraud, embezzling over $200K.
He’s additionally accused of stealing $30K in reward cash meant to carry little one murders accountable. pic.twitter.com/nYi9hG3i2e
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 24, 2025
