Felony fraud charge filed against former Obama spokesman who led Minneapolis communications on a near-$200,000 salary
Prosecutors formally charged Adam Fetcher, until recently the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Minneapolis, with one felony count of financial transaction fraud on Wednesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune…
Prosecutors formally charged Adam Fetcher, until recently the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Minneapolis, with one felony count of financial transaction fraud on Wednesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The specific allegation: Fetcher stole a co-worker's debit card and used it to buy kratom, a mood-altering substance, from a Minneapolis smoke shop. He had been making nearly $200,000 a year when he was fired in early July, and his court date is set for August 11.
The allegations
The debit-card charge came out of a broader police investigation. Authorities were already looking into reports that Fetcher had stolen cash and bank cards from three fellow city employees, running through hundreds of dollars at local smoke shops. Sources familiar with the matter told the Star Tribune that the alleged thefts followed his return from a rehabilitation program. He had disclosed a substance abuse problem to coworkers before the investigation began. Kratom is widely used to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms, though it carries its own addiction risk, and federal and state regulators have sharpened scrutiny of it in recent years.
Fetcher had no prior criminal record at the time of the alleged fraud, aside from traffic violations, per court records. His attorney told Fox News Digital she had no comment. A representative for Barack Obama had not responded to Fox News Digital as of publication.
Political weight for Mayor Frey
The charges land at a rough moment for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He is already under scrutiny for widespread fraud allegations tied to members of the city's Somali community, a constituency with which he has cultivated close political ties.
Career before the city post
Fetcher spent several years in senior Democratic communications roles before Minneapolis. He served as assistant press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security for roughly eight months in 2011, then as press secretary at the Interior Department until July 2012, when he moved to Obama's reelection campaign as deputy national press secretary. After leaving politics he held senior communications positions at Patagonia and at Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT).
What to watch
Fetcher is due in court on August 11.
Related reading
Filed via foxnews.com