Jonathan Weinhagen, the former President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of mail fraud, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
Weinhagen admitted to defrauding and embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chamber and its business members between December 2019 and June 2024. His actions included several schemes that diverted funds for personal use.
One scheme involved reward money intended for information about unsolved child murders in North Minneapolis. In May 2021, after two children were killed and a third injured in shootings, the Chamber contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota for three $10,000 rewards. About a year later, Weinhagen contacted Crime Stoppers to ask about the status of these rewards. Upon learning they were unclaimed, he requested the return of the funds under the pretense that they would be redeployed into the North Minneapolis community. He instructed Crime Stoppers to send a refund check to his home address, which he falsely claimed was the new address for the Chamber. On June 6, 2022, Crime Stoppers sent a $30,000 check to Weinhagen’s home; he then used these funds for personal expenses.
Another fraudulent act involved creating sham consulting agreements with Synergy Partners—a fictitious company invented by Weinhagen—between December 2019 and April 2021. Using an alias, “James Sullivan,” he signed agreements on behalf of the Chamber and caused payments totaling $107,500 to be made to Synergy Partners’ bank account, which he controlled.
In November 2020, Weinhagen opened a $200,000 line of credit in the Chamber’s name without authorization and over the next year drew $125,000 from it. These funds were transferred into Synergy Partners’ account for his own use.
Additionally, in January 2022 Weinhagen charged $15,701 on a Chamber credit card for first-class airfare and luxury accommodations at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Hawaii for himself and his family. He later fabricated documents suggesting these charges were legitimate business expenses.
After being fired from his position at the Chamber in January 2025, Weinhagen applied for a bank loan totaling $54,661 using false information about his employment status and income with a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company.
Weinhagen entered his plea before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel; sentencing will occur at a future date.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy is prosecuting it.
“Weinhagen pled guilty before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.”
“This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.”
“This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy.”
