Jonathan Weinhagen, the former vice president of the St. Paul Area Regional Chamber of Commerce and a current member of the Mounds View school board, was federally indicted Thursday on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, attempted bank fraud and providing a false statement on a loan application — all allegations relating to his time with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce or shortly thereafter.
Weinhagen, 42, of Shoreview, worked at the St. Paul Area Regional Chamber of Commerce for about 6 1/2 years, including more than two years as vice president, before departing in October 2016 to become president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. After almost eight years at its helm, Weinhagen abruptly resigned in June 2024 following an internal investigation that projected a $500,000 deficit in 2024.
Undated courtesy photo, circa Sept. 2023, of Jonathan Weinhagen, candidate for Mounds View School Board in the November 2023 election. (Courtesy of the candidate)
The federal charges allege Weinhagen stole $200,000 from the chamber by setting up contracts with a company that did not exist, Minnesota Public Radio reported. He allegedly invented a fictional company called Synergy Partners along with a fictional owner, James Sullivan, which he used to enter into fraudulent contracts with the chamber.
The indictment says Weinhagen got the chamber to pay more than $100,000 to Synergy under the contracts, which he used for personal expenses, according to MPR. Weinhagen also allegedly opened a line of credit in the chamber’s name, borrowed more than $125,000, and transferred it to the phony company.
The chamber discovered the credit line and staff requested information about the payments. Weinhagen then allegedly sent fake emails to make it appear the fictional company had gone out of business and published an obituary, claiming the owner had died of pancreatic cancer, MPR reported.
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Crime Stoppers money
Weinhagen also allegedly stole $30,000 that the chamber had given to Crime Stoppers for reward money following the shootings of three children in Minneapolis in 2021. After the cases went unsolved, Weinhagen asked Crime Stoppers to return the money and allegedly asked that the refund check be sent to his home, saying it was the chamber’s new address, MPR reported.
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce said in a written statement Thursday it was aware of the criminal charges and that it continues 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 statement read. “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 made his first court appearance on the charges at the federal courthouse in St. Paul. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright ordered that he remain free on an unsecured $25,000 bond.
An attorney for Weinhagen is not listed in the court file, and he did not immediately respond Thursday to a message left for him asking to respond to the allegations.
Other public role
Weinhagen has served as an elected member of the Mounds View Public Schools school board since June 2014, according to his résumé on the professional networking website LinkedIn, and the Mounds View Public Schools website; he previously spent five years on the board of the Mounds View Schools Education Foundation. His school board term ends in January 2028.
He also served for five years on the Shoreview Economic Development Commission, and was a sales and marketing manager of the now-shuttered Weinhagen Tire Co. on St. Paul’s West Side.
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