Chamber of Commerce Chair Stole Money from ‘Murdered Children’

A former Minneapolis business leader once trusted to bring prosperity to his city now faces prison for stealing from the dead.

Jonathan Weinhagen — the disgraced ex-president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce — pleaded guilty to a stunning embezzlement scheme that siphoned off more than $330,000, including money meant to help solve the murder of two children.

Federal prosecutors say Weinhagen, 42, lived a double life under the alias James Sullivan, using fake companies, forged contracts, and even his own home address to reroute funds meant for public good into his personal accounts.

Court documents show Weinhagen’s lowest moment came in 2021, after two children were gunned down in separate North Minneapolis shootings that left a third child critically wounded. The Chamber had proudly donated $30,000 to Crime Stoppers Minnesota to help find whoever pulled the trigger.

About a year later, Weinhagen contacted the nonprofit, asking whether anyone had claimed the reward. When told no one had, prosecutors say he lied — claiming the chamber had “made a commitment to redeploy those funds back into the North Minneapolis community.”

He then instructed Crime Stoppers to mail the check to his personal address, claiming it was the chamber’s “official location.” Federal investigators say Weinhagen deposited the check into his personal bank account days later.

“He didn’t just steal from his company — he stole from the community and from murdered kids who never got justice,” said one law enforcement source close to the case. “It’s one of the coldest things I’ve seen in my career.”

Between 2019 and 2024, Weinhagen ran what the FBI called a “systematic financial deception.” Using the fake business Synergy Partners, he created three bogus consulting contracts totaling over $107,000 — all approved and paid under his own signature as “James Sullivan.”

He also opened a secret $200,000 line of credit under the chamber’s name, transferring $125,000 of it to the fake company for “personal enrichment,” prosecutors said.

By 2022, investigators say, Weinhagen’s greed grew bolder. He charged a luxury Hawaii family vacation — including first-class flights and a $15,000 oceanfront suite — to the chamber’s credit card.

When internal auditors discovered a $500,000 budget hole, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were called in. Their probe uncovered the multi-year fraud trail that led to Weinhagen’s resignation in 2024.

But even after losing his position, prosecutors say he didn’t stop. In January 2025, as President Donald Trump’s second administration vowed a crackdown on white-collar crime, Weinhagen allegedly filed a bank loan application claiming he earned $425,000 a year from a “Minnesota restaurant group” — a job that didn’t exist.

“Mr. Weinhagen’s actions represent a betrayal of public trust and a pattern of deception that cannot be ignored,” said U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. “No one, no matter their title, is above the law.”

Weinhagen now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and fines reaching $250,000. Federal guidelines suggest a sentence between 27 and 33 months, along with more than $213,000 in restitution.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

As one former chamber colleague told The Star Tribune, “We trusted him to help build Minneapolis — not rob it from the inside.”