A former high-profile business leader in Minneapolis has pleaded guilty to a brazen fraud scheme, embezzling more than $330,000 from the organisation he led, including money intended as a reward to solve the murders of two children.
A Trusted Position Abused for Personal Gain
Jonathan Weinhagen, the 42-year-old former president and chief executive of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, entered his guilty plea to mail fraud charges on Monday. Court documents reveal his criminal activity spanned from December 2019 to June 2024. The FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service uncovered the fraud after an internal probe by the chamber found a staggering $500,000 budget deficit.
One of the most shocking elements of the case involved funds meant to help solve a tragic crime. In May 2021, two children were killed and a third injured in a series of shootings in North Minneapolis. In response, the Chamber, under Weinhagen's leadership, donated $30,000 to Crime Stoppers Minnesota to bolster a reward for information.
Theft of a Community Reward
Approximately a year later, Weinhagen contacted Crime Stoppers to ask if the reward had been claimed. Learning it had not, he requested the money be returned, falsely claiming the chamber needed to redeploy the resources in the North Minneapolis community per a commitment to investors. He instructed the charity to send the cheque to his home address, misleading them that this was the chamber's official location, and then deposited the $30,000 for his personal use.
A Web of Fraudulent Schemes
Weinhagen's deception extended far beyond the stolen reward. Prosecutors detailed how, from December 2019 to April 2021, he invented a fake consulting firm called Synergy Partners. Using the alias James Sullivan, he signed three fraudulent consulting agreements with his own chamber, netting $107,500.
In a further audacious move, he opened a $200,000 line of credit in the chamber's name in November 2020, drawing $125,000 over the following year to funnel to Synergy Partners for personal expenses. An investigation also found he used the chamber's credit card for a family holiday to Hawaii, splurging on over $15,000 in first-class airfare and an oceanfront hotel.
Consequences and Continued Criminality
Even after resigning from the chamber in 2024, Weinhagen attempted to commit further fraud. In January 2025, he applied for a $54,661 bank loan by falsely stating he earned $425,000 annually from a Minnesota restaurant holding company.
The maximum penalty for his mail fraud charge is 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. However, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, federal sentencing guidelines suggest he is likely to face between 27 and 33 months in prison. He will also be required to make restitution payments totalling $213,200 and faces a fine between $10,000 and $95,000. His formal sentencing will be announced at a later date.
