MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Former Minneapolis Communications Chief Charged With Financial Card Fraud After Alleged Theft From Coworker

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 23, 2026). Adam Fetcher, the former chief communications officer for the City of Minneapolis, has been charged with financial transaction card fraud after investigators accused him of stealing a coworker’s debit card and using it to make a $481 purchase.

Fetcher, 42, was charged Wednesday in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred June 11.

The allegations are contained in a criminal complaint and have not been proven in court. Fetcher is presumed innocent unless he pleads guilty or is convicted.

Debit card allegedly taken from purse

According to the complaint as reported by FOX 9, a city employee left her purse on her desk at approximately 11 a.m. June 11.

Fetcher allegedly removed her debit card and took it to a Minneapolis tobacco shop, where investigators say it was used for a $481 transaction around noon.

Approximately 45 minutes after the alleged theft, the employee noticed that her purse and wallet were no longer where she had left them. She subsequently discovered that her debit card was missing.

The employee contacted the business where the unauthorized transaction appeared to have occurred.

Surveillance recordings aided investigation

The tobacco-shop owner reportedly supplied surveillance footage to police. An employee identified the person in the recording as a regular customer.

Investigators said Fetcher returned to the business several days later. A store employee confronted him and recorded the encounter on a cellphone.

Police also examined surveillance footage showing the vehicle used by the person who visited the shop. The vehicle was registered to Fetcher, according to the complaint.

Investigators compared the surveillance images with Fetcher’s driver’s-license photograph and identified him as the suspect.

Employment ended July 1

Fetcher served as Minneapolis’ chief communications officer, a cabinet-level position responsible for helping direct the city’s public communications.

His city employment ended July 1. The city has not publicly established through the materials reviewed whether the criminal allegation was the sole reason for his departure.

The charge represents an accusation filed by prosecutors. Evidence described in the complaint, including the surveillance recordings and vehicle information, must still be tested through the judicial process.

Verification status: Verified with attribution. FOX 9 reports directly from the criminal complaint, but MinneapoliMedia was not able to retrieve a publicly indexed copy of the complaint or an accompanying Hennepin County Attorney’s Office release. The article therefore attributes the allegations rather than presenting them as independently established facts.

Source

• FOX 9: Former Minneapolis communications chief charged with financial card fraud

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