MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minneapolis Fires Top Communications Officer as Prosecutors Review Alleged Theft and Credit Card Fraud Case

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 10, 2026) The City of Minneapolis has fired its highest-ranking communications official amid a police investigation into allegations that he stole cash and financial cards from fellow municipal employees and used at least one stolen card to make hundreds of dollars in unauthorized purchases.

Adam Fetcher, 42, was dismissed July 1 after serving approximately one year as Minneapolis’ first chief communications officer, according to reporting by the Minnesota Star Tribune. Minneapolis police subsequently submitted an investigative file to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible criminal charges. A representative of the county attorney’s office confirmed that the matter remained under review.

Fetcher had not been criminally charged as of Friday, July 10. The allegations against him have not been proven in court, and his attorney, Nicole Kettwick, declined to comment when contacted by the Star Tribune.

The case has placed an extraordinary cloud over a position created only last year to strengthen public confidence in Minneapolis government and coordinate how the city communicates with residents, employees and the news media.

Fetcher was hired in July 2025 as the city’s inaugural chief communications officer, a cabinet-level position overseeing internal communications, digital strategy and external messaging across municipal departments. The city said at the time that elevating communications into a centralized executive role would help Minneapolis provide information that could “inform, empower and engage” residents while building community trust and resilience.

Less than a year later, he is gone, and the office he was selected to lead is managing a public controversy involving allegations that city employees were victimized inside their own workplace.

Allegations Involve Three City Employees

The Star Tribune reported that five people with knowledge of the investigation said Fetcher was suspected of taking cash and credit or debit cards belonging to three Minneapolis employees. The items were allegedly removed from employees’ desks or purses between mid-May and early June.

One of the reported incidents involved a city employee’s card that was allegedly taken from her purse and used in June to make a single $481 purchase at Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor, a south Minneapolis store located less than a mile from Fetcher’s residence.

The store’s manager told the Star Tribune that employees helped police identify Fetcher as the person suspected of using fraudulent cards. According to the manager, store workers became suspicious after a woman called to report that an unauthorized transaction had been made at the business. When Fetcher later returned, employees photographed him, followed him outside and provided police with his vehicle’s license plate number.

The newspaper also reported that surveillance footage showed Fetcher using a stolen card inside the store to purchase kratom. That claim was attributed to unnamed sources familiar with the investigation and has not been tested through criminal proceedings.

The reported $481 transaction could potentially support a felony-level financial transaction card fraud charge under Minnesota law if prosecutors determine that the evidence is sufficient and decide to file a case. No charging decision had been announced by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office as of Friday.

City Warned Employees About Missing Cards and Cash

The City of Minneapolis has not publicly explained the specific grounds for Fetcher’s termination or released the findings of any internal personnel investigation.

On July 1, City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher informed employees that Fetcher was leaving the position and that Chris Kelly, a former communications director for Minnesota Management and Budget, would take over on an interim basis. Her initial announcement praised the restructuring completed under Fetcher’s leadership but did not mention the theft investigation or accusations against him.

A week later, Kelliher sent another message to city leaders acknowledging that several employees had recently reported missing cash, debit cards or credit cards, with some accounts showing unauthorized transactions. She said the reported incidents occurred between mid-May and early June.

Kelliher told city employees that Minneapolis officials had acted on the reports and had no reason to believe that an ongoing theft risk remained. She also urged department leaders to remind employees to check their financial accounts and secure personal valuables while at work.

The city declined to provide the Star Tribune with further information about Fetcher’s termination or its internal inquiry. The newspaper also requested his personnel records, which had not been produced when the original report was published.

Fetcher earned an annual city salary of $186,495.

Rehabilitation Leave Preceded His Return

The newspaper reported that Fetcher told colleagues in February that he was seeking treatment for an unspecified substance use disorder. He then took a nine-week personnel leave through a city-approved rehabilitation program and returned to work in mid-April.

The alleged thefts were reported to have occurred in the weeks after his return.

That timeline is potentially relevant to the investigation but does not establish that treatment, a medical condition or substance use caused the alleged conduct. Addiction and recovery are health matters, and allegations of criminal behavior must be evaluated separately through evidence and the legal process.

The substance Fetcher was reportedly seen purchasing, kratom, is derived from the leaves of the Southeast Asian tree Mitragyna speciosa. It can produce stimulant-like effects at lower amounts and sedative or opioid-like effects at larger amounts. Some people use kratom in an effort to manage pain or opioid withdrawal, but it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat any medical condition.

The FDA has warned that kratom use may be associated with substance use disorder, seizures, liver toxicity and other serious adverse effects. Federal regulators have also drawn a distinction between traditional kratom leaf products and concentrated products containing high levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH, which has stronger opioid-like properties and has faced increasing federal scrutiny.

The public reporting does not establish what type of kratom product was allegedly purchased or whether Fetcher was under the influence of any substance during the reported incidents.

A High-Profile Communications Career

Fetcher entered City Hall with a résumé spanning national politics, federal government and some of the country’s best-known consumer brands.

A Carleton College graduate, he served as deputy national press secretary during Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and later held communications positions in the Obama administration, including work with the U.S. Department of the Interior.

His private-sector career included senior communications or marketing positions at Patagonia, Lyft, New Belgium Brewing and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. He later co-founded the Minneapolis consulting firm Big Future Mission & Message.

When Mayor Jacob Frey’s administration selected him as Minneapolis’ first chief communications officer, the appointment was presented as part of a broader effort to consolidate the city’s messaging and improve coordination among communications employees embedded across different departments.

Fetcher oversaw a team of approximately 18 people and was responsible for internal communications, external media strategy and digital engagement throughout city government.

The allegations now confronting him represent a sharp reversal for an official whose job was built around credibility, institutional trust and the city’s relationship with the public.

Case Awaits Prosecutorial Decision

The next significant step rests with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which must determine whether the evidence gathered by Minneapolis police establishes probable cause to bring criminal charges.

Prosecutors may file charges, seek additional investigation or decline the case if they conclude that the available evidence is insufficient. Until that review is complete, Fetcher remains a former city employee accused of wrongdoing but not convicted or formally charged.

The episode also raises unresolved questions for Minneapolis officials, including how the reported thefts were detected, when supervisors first learned of them, what internal safeguards were activated and whether any city employees will be reimbursed for losses not covered by their financial institutions.

For now, the city has said only that it took the employee reports seriously, acted accordingly and does not believe an ongoing workplace theft threat exists.

The communications office Fetcher was hired to consolidate remains under interim leadership as the criminal review proceeds.

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