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A Minnesota CEO accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars is expected to plead guilty to the scheme that “could make a TV movie,” according to reports and prosecutors.
Jonathan Weinhagen, the CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, has been accused of embezzling over $200,000 from the organization and using the funds to splurge on an oceanfront stay in Hawaii, among other things, according to the Star Tribune and court records obtained by The Post.
Weinhagen, 42, who was hit with federal charges in October, is expected to plead guilty to five counts of fraud for the embezzlement case — where the rising star allegedly created a fictional company, a phony obituary and stole from a $30,000 chamber donation to a Crime Stoppers reward fund, according to the outlet and court records.
“When I first heard about it, it was like ‘Good God, what?’” Scott Burns, who worked with Weinhagen when he was on the St. Paul Chamber’s board, told the outlet.
“I can’t piece it together,” Burns said. “You could make a TV movie out of it.”
The married father of four abruptly resigned from his position in June 2024. The rising star worked at his family’s St. Paul auto repair shop before landing the top position at the Minneapolis Chamber at the age of 33. He made $275,000 in 2023.
The chamber revealed Weinhagen’s departure came after an internal investigation discovered a large deficit, leading to the axing of five staffers, the outlet said.
Roughly $290,000 in chamber money vanished during his tenure, financially hobbling the organization and forcing it into merger talks earlier this year, according to the outlet.
The elaborate scheme lasted from 2019 until the month he resigned, and involved him stealing over $200,000 from the chamber under the alias “James Sullivan,” of the fake consulting company “Synergy Partners,” his indictment said.
After the chamber began to catch on to the fraud, Weinhagen allegedly tried to “cover his tracks” by saying Synergy disbanded and Sullivan had died from pancreatic cancer, prosecutors said.
He announced Sullivan’s death in a faux obituary posted to Legacy.com in 2024.
Weinhagen also allegedly used a Minneapolis chamber credit card for personal expenses, including taking him and his family on a first-class trip to Hawaii for a two-bedroom oceanfront hotel stay, the indictment detailed.
He also allegedly tried in 2025, after he left the chamber, to obtain a $54,000 loan from SoFi bank, court records said.
The alleged corrupt CEO even stole money from a $30,000 reward fund for tips on solving three 2021 shootings involving children, prosecutors alleged.
The chamber donated the money to Crime Stoppers, but in 2022, when the money was still unclaimed, Weinhagen allegedly asked for the $30,000 back and asked for a refund check to be sent to his home address, the indictment said.
He then allegedly used the cash for his personal expenses.
Weinhagen is expected to have his plea hearing on Monday in the US District Court in St. Paul. His attorney did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The allegations come as Minnesota is under fire after millions of dollars in taxpayer money were stolen in a massive series of welfare fraud schemes — some of which may have been funneled to Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab, City Journal reported earlier this month, citing federal counterterrorism sources.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Earth, Wind & Fire is scheduled to perform at the Blaisdell Arena for one night in June to help fund local flooding relief efforts.
The concert is set for Saturday, June 13, at 8 p.m. Organizers said there will be no opening act, and all proceeds will be donated to help those impacted by the Kona low storms.
Earth, Wind & Fire was founded in 1969 by musician Maurice White. They have since created eight number-one hits and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
Out of 23 albums released, eight have earned Double Platinum status, and the group has won 9 Grammy Awards.
Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Hawaii residents will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets during an exclusive online-only presale beginning Friday, April 3, at 10 a.m.
Mainland attendees and Blaisdell Box Office customers will be able to purchase tickets starting Friday, April 10, at 10 a.m.
Up to eight tickets may be purchased by one patron. Children younger than five years old will not be allowed to attend.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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SCITUATE, MASS. (WHDH) – The Scitutate community is fondly remembering a couple killed in a helicopter crash in Hawaii Thursday during a post-retirement trip.
Patrick “P.J.” Haskell, 59, and his wife Margaret Rimmler, 65, lived in a Scituate neighborhood near the ocean. They took a trip to Hawaii last week after Haskell permanently retired from the insurance business he ran with his father for decades.
“We figured Massachusetts was close enough for us, and then when we hear it was our next door neighbor – it was shocking. Absolutely shocking,” said Steve Osborne, a neighbor.
Neighbors said Rimmler worked in the tech marketing field for years, and Haskell had big plans for retirement involving his garden and bee hives.
“He loved his gardening, and he had an overabundance of vegetables in the summertime,” said Mary Talbot, a neighbor.
“I had just spoken to him last week, and he had checked the bees and they all made it through the winter,” Osborne said.
On Thursday afternoon, the sightseeing helicopter the couple was flying in crashed near a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, killing them and one other person. Experts say the area’s geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can make for turbulant air and hazardous flying conditions.
In a memorial posting, Haskell Insurance Agency wrote, “Patrick recently retired and along with Margaret, deserved many more years together…Patrick’s kindness and selfless nature impacted all who knew him. He extended respect and compassion to everyone he encountered.”
Neighbors said the couple will be sorely missed.
“They were just the nicest people, the nicest people,” said Osborne. “Every time I look out over there it’s just so sad.”
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the helicopter crash.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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