Jonathan Weinhagen, 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, also known as “James Sullivan,” admitted to a series of fraudulent activities that occurred between December 2019 and June 2024 while leading the Chamber. The plea revealed several schemes used to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization and its members.
One scheme involved reward money intended for information on unsolved child murders in North Minneapolis. In May 2021, after the Chamber contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota for three rewards related to these shootings, Weinhagen later requested the unclaimed funds be returned. He told Crime Stoppers that the refund should be sent to his home address, falsely stating it was the Chamber’s new location. After receiving the $30,000 check at his residence in June 2022, he used those funds for personal expenses.
Weinhagen also created fake consulting agreements with a fictional company called Synergy Partners using the alias “James Sullivan.” Between December 2019 and April 2021, he signed three such agreements and caused $107,500 in payments from the Chamber to Synergy Partners. He deposited this money into an account under that name for personal use.
Another incident occurred in November 2020 when Weinhagen opened a $200,000 line of credit under the Chamber’s name without authorization. Over about a year, he drew $125,000 from this line and transferred it into Synergy Partners’ account for his own benefit.
In January 2022, Weinhagen charged $15,701 on the Chamber’s credit card for a family vacation to Hawaii—covering first-class airfare and oceanfront accommodations—and later falsified documents suggesting these were business-related charges.
After being terminated from his role at the Chamber in January 2025, Weinhagen applied for a bank loan totaling $54,661 by falsely claiming an annual income of $425,000 from a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company and providing a fabricated paystub.
Weinhagen entered his plea before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel; sentencing is scheduled for a future date.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy is prosecuting.
