Former Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce CEO Pleads Guilty to Fraud
MINNEAPOLIS – Jonathan Weinhagen, 42, who also operated under the alias “James Sullivan,” has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of Mail Fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. The guilty plea stems from a scheme to defraud the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and its members of hundreds of thousands of dollars during his tenure as President and CEO from December 2019 through June 2024.
weinhagen’s fraudulent activities involved multiple methods. In May 2021, following a series of shootings in North Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of two children and injury to another, the Chamber contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota for reward money. When the reward remained unclaimed a year later, Weinhagen falsely claimed a need to redirect the funds to North Minneapolis community initiatives and requested a refund check be sent to his personal residence. He then misappropriated the $30,000 for personal use.
Further examination revealed Weinhagen created three fraudulent consulting agreements between December 2019 and April 2021 with a fictitious company called Synergy Partners, signing the contracts under the name “James Sullivan.” The Chamber paid a total of $107,500 to Synergy Partners,funds Weinhagen deposited into a bank account opened in the company’s name and used for personal expenses.
Additionally, Weinhagen illicitly opened a $200,000 line of credit in the chamber’s name in November 2020, drawing $125,000 over the following year. These funds were also transferred to the Synergy Partners account and used for personal expenses.
The fraud also included the misuse of the Chamber’s credit card for personal travel.In January 2022, Weinhagen charged $15,701 to the Chamber’s card for a family vacation to Hawaii, including frist-class airfare and a luxury hotel room, and afterward fabricated documentation to disguise the charges as legitimate buisness expenses.
after his termination from the Chamber, Weinhagen submitted a fraudulent loan application in January 2025, falsely claiming a $425,000 annual income from a Minnesota restaurant holding company and providing a forged paystub as proof.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. attorney Matthew C. Murphy is prosecuting the case. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel.
