Feds: Ex-Minneapolis Chamber CEO stole Crimestoppers reward cash amid embezzlement scheme
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A federal grand jury has indicted former Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jonathan Weinhagen on charges of stealing $200,000 from the organization, including $30,000 that the chamber put up as reward money following the shootings of three children in 2021.
Weinhagen, 42, abruptly left his job in 2024 after an internal investigation found a $500,000 projected deficit, according to the Star Tribune.
Weinhagen made his initial appearance Thursday afternoon on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, attempted bank fraud and making a false statement in a loan application.
Prosecutors did not seek pretrial detention, and Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright ordered Weinhagen released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. He does not have to post cash or collateral, but could face financial penalties if he fails to appear for subsequent hearings.
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Weinhagen did not enter a plea. After the hearing, defense attorney Joseph Dixon declined to comment to MPR News on the charges.
Prosecutors say that Weinhagen invented a fictional company called Synergy Partners along with a fictional owner, James Sullivan, which he used to enter into fraudulent contracts with the Chamber. According to the indictment, Weinhagen got the chamber to pay more than $100,000 to Synergy under the contracts, which he used for personal expenses. Weinhagen allegedly also opened a line of credit in the chamber’s name, borrowed more than $125,000, and transferred it to his fake company.
When the chamber discovered this credit line, staff requested information about the payments. That’s when Weinhagen allegedly sent fake emails to make it appear that Synergy — which never existed — had gone out of business and published a fake obituary that said Sullivan — who never existed — had died of pancreatic cancer. (Legacy.com on Friday removed the obituary, which was first posted to the site in April 2024.)
In May of 2021, the chamber contributed $30,000 to a Crime Stoppers fund after the deaths that spring of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith and 6-year-old Aniya Allen, who were caught in the crossfire in two separate shootings.
A third incident left Ladavionne Garrett, Jr. — who was 10 at the time — seriously injured. A year later — with the crimes still unsolved — Weinhagen asked Crime Stoppers to return the $30,000. He allegedly requested that the group send the refund check to his home, which he told them was the chamber’s new address.
In 2023, D’Pree Robinson pleaded guilty to killing Trinity Ottoson-Smith and is serving a 37 1/2-year sentence, but the other shootings have not been solved.
Weinhagen started as president and CEO of the chamber in 2016. He stepped down in August of 2024 after an internal investigation found a half million-dollar projected deficit, according to reporting at the time from the Star Tribune. Weinhagen is also a member of the Mounds View School Board. His term expires in early 2028, according to the district.
In a statement, the chamber says it’s continuing to cooperate with the federal investigation and prosecution and is “working diligently to make process and governance changes to help rebuild and strengthen the organization.”
