Overview
- A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jonathan Weinhagen with multiple fraud counts; he made an initial court appearance, did not enter a plea, and was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.
- Charging documents allege he set up a sham vendor, Synergy Partners, under the alias James Sullivan and routed more than $100,000 through fraudulent contracts for personal use.
- Prosecutors say he opened a line of credit in the chamber’s name at Northeast Bank, drew more than $125,000, and transferred the money to the fake company.
- The indictment alleges he reclaimed $30,000 the chamber donated to Crime Stoppers by directing a refund check to his home address and deposited the funds for himself.
- Authorities say he masked the scheme with fake emails and a fabricated obituary, used chamber funds for a Hawaii trip, and later sought a $54,661 SoFi loan with false income claims; the chamber says it is cooperating and strengthening governance.