Jonathan Weinhagen Resigns from Mounds View School Board Amid Embezzlement Allegations
Jonathan Weinhagen, 42, of Shoreview, resigned from the Mounds View school board on Friday amid allegations that he embezzled more than $200,000 from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce during his tenure as its president and CEO.
Weinhagen stepped down from his elected school board seat effective immediately, according to a notice from Mounds View Public Schools sent to district families and staff Friday afternoon. He had served on the seven-member board since June 2014. The board will discuss steps to fill the remainder of his term, which ends on January 3, 2028.
The school board chair, Diane Glasheen, and district superintendent, Chris Lennox, did not respond to requests for comment from the Pioneer Press.
The five-count indictment alleges that between December 2019 and June 2024, Weinhagen orchestrated a fraud scheme by setting up sham contracts with a consulting company he created. He deposited money from these contracts into a bank account under the false company’s name and used the funds for personal expenses.
On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Weinhagen on one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud, attempted bank fraud, and providing a false statement on a loan application. He made his initial court appearance on Thursday and was released from custody on an unsecured $25,000 bond.
One of the allegations includes stealing $30,000 that the chamber had given to Crime Stoppers as reward money following the shootings of three children in Minneapolis in May 2021. After the cases remained unsolved, Weinhagen requested the return of the funds in May 2022 and directed Crime Stoppers to send the refund check to his home, falsely claiming it was the chamber’s new address. He then allegedly used the money for personal expenses.
Additionally, Weinhagen is accused of using a chamber credit card for personal expenses such as first-class airfare and a two-bedroom oceanfront hotel room in Honolulu. He created fake documents to make these expenses appear legitimate as chamber business.
After leaving the chamber, prosecutors say Weinhagen attempted to defraud a bank by applying for a loan of $54,661 with false information. He claimed employment with a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company and submitted a phony bank stub showing a $425,000 annual salary. The bank denied the loan.
Weinhagen worked at the St. Paul Area Regional Chamber of Commerce for about six and a half years, including over two years as vice president, before joining the Minneapolis chamber in October 2016. His resignation from the Minneapolis organization followed an internal investigation that projected a $500,000 deficit for 2024.
As of this publication, an attorney for Weinhagen has not been listed in federal court records, and he has not responded to requests for comment regarding the allegations.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/10/24/jonathan-weinhagen-resigns-from-mounds-view-school-board-amid-federal-fraud-allegations/