Video transcript
>> Now to what's being called devastating news, that's the reaction just into crimes of former Minneapolis Chamber leader is accused of. >> Jonathan Weinhagen is facing federal fraud charges tonight. >> Callen Gray has been digging into the accusations she's live in Minneapolis right now with what she's found. >> Tonight there are new calls for accountability from those personally affected by the crimes he's accused of one grandfather, a shooting victim, calling it unbelievable. >> The indictment says from December 2019 through June 2024, former Minneapolis regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jonathan Weinhagen embezzled quote hundreds of thousands of dollars from the chamber and its business members. It says he entered into sham contracts with a fake consulting company he created and used an alias James Sullivan. And at one point opened a line of credit in the Chamber of Commerce's name, used it for personal expenses and diverted donations from Chamber business members to repay the money. But for some in Minneapolis, the most upsetting charges for mail fraud. It says the Chamber of Commerce gave $30,000 to crime stoppers to fund rewards for information leading to an arrest in three shootings in May 2021 that killed two children and severely injured a third. A year later, it says Weinhagen requested crime stoppers return the money. And when he got the check, he quote stole the money and used it to pay for his personal expenses. >> This is a devastating news. >> KG Wilson's six-year-old granddaughter, Anaya Allen, was one of the children killed in May 2021. >> For me to hear this today, it crushed my heart. It crushed my heart and it angered me. >> The reward, he says, could be critical in encouraging someone to come forward. >> It's just unreal that we have human beings that are capable of being that heartless, that greedy to say, I don't care about these children who were shot and killed. I don't care about their families. I don't care about the communities who were hurt behind this. I'm going to take this money. >> Wilson worried this could discourage people from donating to rewards in the future. >> Why would you take from that? >> So the accountability to me is for him to turn that money back in and deal with the consequences in a courtroom for doing something like this. >> A Crime Stoppers board member tells me tonight it's not unusual for donated funds to be returned if it's requested. The organization did not have a comment on the investigation but says it is cooperating. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce tells us it is cooperating with the Department of Justice and says over the last 16 months, it's been working diligently to make process and governance upgrades to better help the rebuild and strengthen the organization. Kevin, Lindsay. >> All right, no doubt, very disappointing news, Callum, thank you so much.
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