The ex-chief executive of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce had pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars and using the funds on a lavish Hawaiian vacation and other personal expenses.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 42-year-old Jonathan Weinhagen used his position as the President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce between 2019 and 2024 to embezzle $278,210 in several ways.
Initially, authorities say that in 2021, Weinhagen stole $30,000 meant as a reward for the unsolved murder of children. In May of that year, the Chamber of Commerce contributed $30,000 toward the reward. However, Weinhagen called about a year later inquiring about the reward and was informed it was unclaimed.
He then asked for the money to be returned to the Chamber because it had made commitments to investors. The money was returned – but Weinhagen had falsely claimed that his home address was the address of the Chamber of Commerce. When the check arrived, he pocketed the money and used the funds on personal expenses.
Furthermore, between 2019 and April 2021, Weinhagen entered into three agreements on behalf of the Commerce with Synergy Partners, a fictitious company he created under the alias “James Sullivan.” Using this method, Weinhagen was able to siphon $107,500 and used the money for his own personal expenses.
Then, in November 2020, Weinhagen opened a $200,000 line of credit for the Chamber, drawing $125,000 from it and depositing it in the bank account he opened for Synergy Partners and used a portion of the funds to pay for a lavish vacation in Hawaii, going as far as creating fake documents to make it seem like the vacation was official Chamber business.
Lastly, in January 2025 – after he was fired from his position at the Chamber – he applied for a six-figure bank loan but lied on his application. Weinhagen’s sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
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