The former head of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, accused of stealing reward money for the unsolved murder of children, pleaded guilty to mail fraud on Monday.

Jonathan Weinhagen, 42, served as the president and CEO of the chamber from December 2019 through June last year.

Documents say that in 2022, Weinhagen launched a scheme to obtain $30,000 that the chamber had donated to Crime Stoppers.

The money financed three rewards for the arrest and prosecution of the people responsible for shooting three north Minneapolis children: Ladavionne Garrett, Jr., Trinity Ottoson-Smith and Aniya Allen. Ottoson-Smith and Allen died days after they were shot; with the help of numerous surgeries, Garrett's condition continues to improve.

Investigators say Weinhagen asked Crime Stoppers to return the chamber's $30,000 donation directly to him.

Court documents say that Weinhagen created a "fictional consulting company" using the alias "James Sullivan," and charged the chamber $107,500 to his fake company, Synergy Partners. He also opened a $200,000 line of credit in the Chamber of Commerce's name and drew $125,000 from it over the course of a year.

Weinhagen also used the chamber's credit card to pay for a vacation to Hawaii, charging the card nearly $16,000 for first-class airfare and an ocean-front hotel room for him and his family, according to charges.

Finally, prosecutors say Weinhaen provided a fake paystub for a bank loan he applied for, in which he falsely stated he earned $425,000 a year from a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company. 

A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.

Note: The video above originally aired on Oct. 24, 2025.