We knew Obama’s administration wasn’t the best. But this is insane.
Because a former Obama aide was just charged with a felony.
A former Obama administration press aide who went on to become Minneapolis’s top communications official now faces a felony fraud charge after allegedly stealing cash and credit cards from city employees to feed a kratom habit, the latest scandal to hit a city government already reeling from fraud allegations.
Six-Figure City Official Accused of Stealing From Coworkers
Adam Fetcher, 42, who once served as a deputy national press secretary in the Obama White House, was fired from his post as Minneapolis’s chief communications officer on July 1 after city investigators concluded he had stolen cash and payment cards from fellow employees and used at least one stolen card to buy kratom, an herbal supplement, at a local smoke shop.
Sources familiar with the matter told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Fetcher is suspected of stealing cash and cards from coworkers’ desks and bags shortly after he returned from a rehabilitation program, during which he had told coworkers he was seeking treatment for a substance abuse problem.
City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher announced Fetcher’s termination to staff without explaining the circumstances of his departure, writing that “under Adam’s leadership, the Communications team has reorganized, is fully staffed, and is well positioned to manage the City’s Communications needs.” In a separate memo, however, Kelliher acknowledged that several city employees had reported missing cash, debit and credit cards, along with unauthorized charges, between mid-May and June.
Surveillance Footage Captures $481 Kratom Purchase
Surveillance footage from a south Minneapolis smoke shop reportedly captured Fetcher using one of the allegedly stolen cards to make a $481 purchase of kratom on June 18, 2026. Store manager Hamza Zamara said staff helped investigators identify Fetcher as the man who allegedly used the fraudulent cards, after a woman called the shop claiming someone had made a purchase using her card without permission. When Fetcher returned to the shop again, employees photographed him and followed him outside, later providing investigators with his vehicle’s license plate number.
Prosecutors formally charged Fetcher with a felony count of financial transaction fraud on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune. He earned roughly $186,000 to $200,000 annually in his role atop the city’s communications operation. Fetcher had no criminal record at the time of the alleged fraud, aside from a few traffic violations, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 11.
Scandal Adds to Minneapolis’s Mounting Fraud Troubles
The allegations against Fetcher create a fresh political headache for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who is already facing scrutiny over widespread fraud tied to members of the city’s Somali community, a constituency with which he has cultivated close political ties. The case marks the latest in a string of fraud scandals to engulf city government, raising fresh questions about oversight inside Minneapolis’s municipal offices even as officials work to reassure residents that the situation is under control.
