A former Minnesota Chamber of Commerce executive has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars, including a substantial reward fund meant to help solve the murders of two young children.
A Fraudulent Scheme Targeting Tragedy
Jonathan Weinhagen, 42, the former president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, entered a guilty plea to one count of mail fraud on Monday at the US District Court in St. Paul. The charge stems from a brazen scheme where he diverted money intended for a Crimestoppers reward related to the unsolved killings of two children in North Minneapolis.
Federal prosecutors detailed that in 2021, the chamber had contributed $30,000 to a reward fund following a series of local shootings. The victims were six-year-old Aniya Allen, shot while eating in her mother's car, and nine-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, who was killed by a stray bullet while on a trampoline just two days earlier.
When the reward went unclaimed, Weinhagen allegedly contacted Crimestoppers about a year later, requesting the money be returned to the chamber. He claimed the funds would be redeployed into the North Minneapolis community. However, he provided a fraudulent address—his own home—purporting it to be the chamber's new location. When the $30,000 cheque arrived, he simply pocketed it for personal use.
Funding a Lavish Lifestyle with Stolen Funds
Investigators revealed that this theft was just one part of a wider criminal spree that lasted from December 2019 until June 2024. Weinhagen used the embezzled funds to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including first-class international travel.
One notable example was a luxury family holiday to Hawaii in January 2022. Weinhagen charged $15,701 to a chamber credit card for first-class flights and an oceanfront suite at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, later creating fake documents to justify the expense.
His fraud extended beyond the chamber's accounts. Prosecutors say he stole more than $200,000 by inventing a fake company called Synergy Partners under the alias 'James Sullivan'. He even went so far as to post a fabricated online obituary in 2024 claiming Sullivan had died and the company was dissolved.
Consequences and Restitution
Weinhagen, who earned approximately $275,000 in 2023, abruptly resigned from his position in June 2024. Six weeks later, the chamber announced his departure followed an internal probe that uncovered a $500,000 budget deficit.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, he now faces a prison sentence of between 27 and 33 months. The court has also ordered him to make restitution payments totalling $213,200 and pay a fine ranging from $10,000 to $95,000.
Remarkably, his fraudulent activities continued even after his resignation. In January of this year, he applied for a $54,661 bank loan using a fake pay stub and falsely stating he earned $425,000 annually from a restaurant holding company.
Weinhagen, a Minnesota native who rose to become head of the prominent business chamber, offered no comment in court or afterwards. His attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
