A Maplewood man “engaged in a deceptive pattern” through his five nonprofits and one for-profit business — all of which have government-sounding names — as a means “to sow confusion for his own gain,” according to a lawsuit brought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The civil action, filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court against David Singleton, seeks to end his “longstanding fraudulent and deceptive behavior.”
Singleton, 55, is the founder and president of the nonprofits Minnesota Civilian Public Safety Commission Inc., DWI Prevention Services Inc., and Minnesota Police Reserve Officers Association, and president of League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions, and United Criminal Justice Reform Commission.
The lawsuit contends that none of the organizations abide by the requirements of the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, and use images, words and verbiage to “confuse and mislead Minnesota citizens as to the organizations’ affiliation with a government agency.”
Singleton also used one of his nonprofit’s websites to direct Minnesotans to his for-profit “legal consulting” business, Midwest Arbitration and Special Conciliation Authority Inc., despite not having a license to practice law in Minnesota or any other state, the lawsuit says.
Singleton first raised eyebrows with some law enforcement officials nearly a decade ago, when he served as a spokesman for the mother of a missing boy who later turned up murdered in Crystal.
At the time, Singleton and his staff of the now-dissolved Minnesota Community Policing Services Foundation Inc. wore uniforms that closely resembled that of law enforcement. And the way he talked during the 2015 Barway Collins case distressed police officials, who thought the public could be fooled into thinking he was either an officer or speaking for them.
Two years later, in November 2017, Singleton pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to a charge of providing protective services without a license, a gross misdemeanor stemming from what prosecutors said was security work at a health center in St. Paul. He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service.
More recently, Singleton took a couple shots at public office, with an unsuccessful bid for the Maplewood City Council in 2020 and the Ramsey County board two years later.
Singleton did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit Friday, and an attorney was not listed in the court file.
In an interview with the Pioneer Press in March 2017, when lawmakers discussed a bill to place strict requirements on what markings Minnesotans can put on their cars and uniforms, Singleton disputed a claim that his attire would lead some to believe that he has authority as a police officer.
“That is not the intent whatsoever to do anything like that,” Singleton said in the interview. “We’re entitled as an organization to have our own uniform, our own identity. … You can’t be responsible for everybody’s perceptions.”
Complaints from government agencies
The attorney general’s office said its charities division began investigating Singleton, his organizations and business after receiving complaints from government agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The agency said that Singleton’s similar-sounding League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions name and government images on its website confused people into contacting the League for help when they meant to contact the state agency.
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The lawsuit says the investigation found violations of the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act for “failure to perform any activities that meet the organizations’ nonprofit purpose, lack of board of directors, no annual board meetings, failure to maintain financial records, and breaches of an officer’s fiduciary duties.”
In March 2022, a Minnesota Civilian Public Safety Commission “commissioner” opened a Capital One credit card for the nonprofit and added Singleton as an authorized user. Singleton made over 60 purchases on the card, most of which did not appear to have a nonprofit purpose, including purchases at liquor stores, drug stores, restaurants and gas stations, the lawsuit alleges. After payments on the account stopped for eight months, the account was suspended and Capital One referred the account to its recoveries department with a balance of $1,480.77.
The lawsuit also alleges deceptive solicitation of donations by using names, verbiage and images to create confusion of a government affiliation.
Until the attorney general’s office began its investigation, Singleton’s Civilian Public Safety Commission used the website mncivilianpublicsafety.org to advertise itself, displaying images commonly associated with government agencies, including a picture of the Minnesota State Capitol and Minnesota state seal.
Midwest Arbitration’s Facebook page, meanwhile, shows Singleton wearing what appears to be a judge’s robe. The category for the page is “Legal Service” and the contact email is specialmagistratemn@gmail.com.
Singleton does not have a law license, and his name is not listed on the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s roster of Qualified Neutrals.
‘False and deceptive conduct’
The lawsuit further alleges violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, Deceptive Trade Practices Act and unauthorized practice of law by “engaging in false and deceptive conduct to mislead Minnesota residents” that Midwest Arbitration and Singleton could provide legal services.
According to the lawsuit, a New Ulm, Minn., woman needed legal assistance to help with criminal and civil charges she and her husband were facing. She contacted Singleton in July 2023 through his Civilian Public Safety website, which offered “legal consulting” and “mediation and arbitration.”
At a first meeting with the woman, Singleton wore a police uniform and said that he was a magistrate with paralegals, the lawsuit alleges. He told the woman she needed to work with Midwest Arbitration and sign a Power of Attorney document so he could get access to her court files.
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Singleton charged the woman $5,000, which she paid in two installments, and said it would not be much more because Midwest Arbitration was a nonprofit, which it was not. Singleton, in a letter to a Nicollet County assistant attorney and judge’s clerk, referred to himself as a “Special Magistrate” and “Attorney-In-Fact” for the woman, the lawsuit contends.
The county attorney’s office then contacted the state attorney general’s office about Singleton’s claim of representing the woman in her legal matter, as well as his failure to file a certificate of representation.
When the woman realized Singleton was not an attorney and could not represent her in court, the lawsuit says, she terminated the Power of Attorney and asked for the $5,000 to be returned. Singleton refused to pay back the money.
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