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Feds: Former Minneapolis Chamber CEO stole reward money for unsolved crimes

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Published  October 23, 2025 10:23pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9
Former Minneapolis Chamber CEO $30k from Crime Stoppers

Former Minneapolis Chamber CEO $30k from Crime Stoppers

Former Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO has been charged. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the latest.

The Brief

    • Jonathan Weinhagen stole more than $200,000 from the Chamber of Commerce, federal prosecutors said.
    • Weinhagen also stole $30,000 from Crime Stoppers that the chamber donated to help with unsolved crimes, prosecutors said.
    • Weinhagen, 42, left the chamber in June 2024. He has also served on the Mounds View school board for more than a decade.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The former president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce stole more than $200,000 from the organization and ripped off Crime Stoppers, taking $30,000 set aside to help with unsolved crimes involving children, federal prosecutors said.

Former Minneapolis Chamber CEO faces wire, bank fraud charges

The allegations:

Federal prosecutors said Jonathan Weinhagen stole more than $200,000 from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and made off with $30,000 that the organization had donated to help with unsolved cases involving children who were shot. According to prosecutors, Weinhagen embezzled the money over a span of nearly six years, from December 2019 to June 2024, when he left the organization.

In a four-count indictment filed on Wednesday, prosecutors alleged:

  • Weinhagen created a bogus consulting company called Synergy Partners to carry out the scheme.
  • Weinhagen used the alias James Sullivan to conceal the scheme.
  • Weinhagen signed sham contracts with the chamber, generating more than $100,000 for himself.
  • Weinhagen borrowed more than $125,000 from a line of credit he opened in the chamber’s name.
  • Weinhagen diverted chamber donations to repay money he stole from the line of credit.
  • After the chamber sought information about the line of credit, Weinhagen created a fake obituary for James Sullivan and said Synergy Partners went out of business.
  • Weinhagen stole $30,000 that the chamber donated to Crime Stoppers to help solve cases involving three children who were shot in Minneapolis in 2021.
  • Weinhagen tried to secure a $54,661 loan from SoFi Bank by claiming he worked for a restaurant holding company and earned a $425,000 salary, which were both lies.

Shooting victim’s grandfather calls Weinhagen a 'monster'

What he’s saying:

"To me, he’s placed on the monster list because it would take a monster. Humanly, you could not have a heart to be able do something like that...." said KG Wilson, whose granddaughter’s shooting death remains unsolved. "It’s just unbelievable that we live in a state where somebody could actually be that heartless and that greedy. And so, there’s parts of me that broke my heart to know that somebody’s like that and can do that and then there’s parts of me that is really angry."

The backstory:

Aniya Allen, 6, was shot and killed in May 2021. Her death came shortly after two other children were shot in Minneapolis. The chamber had donated $30,000 to Crime Stoppers to help solve those crimes.

Indicted former chamber executive resigns from Mounds View school board

What we know:

In a statement on Thursday, the Mounds View school board said, in part: "We’ve received notice that Jonathan Weinhagen has resigned from the school board of Mounds View Public Schools, effective immediately. The board will discuss next steps to fill the remainder of the vacated term..."

According to his LinkedIn profile, Weinhagen had served on the board for more than a decade. His term was set to expire in January 2028.

Minneapolis Chamber responds to former CEO’s indictment

The statement:

In a statement on Thursday, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce said: "The Minneapolis Regional Chamber is aware of criminal charges brought by the Department of Justice against former chamber leader Jonathan Weinhagen. The chamber will continue to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigation and prosecution.

"Over the past 16 months, the MRC has been working diligently to make process and governance changes to help rebuild and strengthen the organization. The chamber plays a vital role in the Twin Cities and remains firmly focused on our mission of creating partnerships to unite and grow member businesses and improve the Greater MSP region."

Weinhagen could not be reached for comment.

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolis