A former Obama administration spokesman now faces a felony fraud charge after prosecutors say he stole a coworker's debit card to feed a kratom habit, the latest embarrassment for a Minneapolis city government already drowning in fraud scandals.
Adam Fetcher, 42, who once handled press duties for Obama's Department of the Interior and his 2012 reelection campaign, was formally charged with a felony count of financial transaction fraud after allegedly lifting cash and bank cards from three fellow Minneapolis city employees. Prosecutors say he used a stolen debit card to buy kratom, an herbal substance commonly used to treat opioid withdrawal, at a Minneapolis smoke shop, Fox News Digital reported.
Fetcher had been earning nearly $200,000 a year as the city's chief communications officer, its top public-facing spokesperson, before Minneapolis fired him in early July during an active police investigation. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 11. His attorney told Fox News Digital she had no comment.
The alleged thefts began shortly after Fetcher returned from a city-approved rehabilitation program, where he had been seeking treatment for a substance abuse problem he disclosed to coworkers. Sources familiar with the matter told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Fetcher is suspected of taking cash and cards from coworkers' desks and bags during that period.
The scheme did not stay hidden for long. Surveillance footage captured Fetcher allegedly spending $481 on kratom at Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor, a smoke shop near his workplace, Breitbart reported. Store manager Hamza Zamara described confronting Fetcher directly about the fraudulent transactions:
"We told him, Hey, we know what you're doing."
City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher addressed the situation internally after the thefts came to light. She told city staff:
"I know this information may be concerning and troubling, and I want to assure you that the City takes this sort of report seriously and has acted accordingly."
Fetcher was fired on July 1. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office reviewed the case before prosecutors brought the formal felony charge. Court records show Fetcher had no prior criminal record beyond a few traffic violations at the time of the alleged fraud.
Fetcher's career arc makes the charge all the more striking. He spent roughly eight months in 2011 as an assistant press secretary at Obama's Department of Homeland Security, then moved to the Department of the Interior as press secretary until July 2012. He left that post to serve as deputy national press secretary on Obama's reelection campaign.
After leaving politics, Fetcher landed high-level communications roles in the private sector at Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, and at the ride-hailing firm Lyft. The New York Post noted he also held a communications role at electric vehicle maker Rivian. He eventually returned to public service as Minneapolis's first cabinet-level chief communications officer, a role that paid him nearly $200,000 a year, according to city records.
Fox News Digital reached a representative for former President Obama on Thursday for comment. No response was received.
The Fetcher charge lands on a city government that can ill afford another scandal. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is already facing scrutiny over widespread fraud tied to members of the city's Somali community, a constituency with which Frey has cultivated close political ties. An image caption in the Fox News report referenced a federal probe into whether Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz impeded law enforcement, though the article provided no further detail on the nature or status of that investigation.
Former U.S. Attorney Joe Teirab appeared on Fox News' "America Reports" to criticize Frey's response to fraud concerns in the state. No verbatim quotes from Teirab's appearance were published in the article text, but the segment's headline framed the issue bluntly: the Minneapolis mayor "should have to answer for this."
Kratom, the substance at the center of Fetcher's case, is an herbal product derived from a Southeast Asian plant. It is legal in most states and sold at gas stations and smoke shops, but it carries addictive properties and produces opioid-like effects. Users sometimes turn to it as a self-treatment for opioid withdrawal, which aligns with the timeline of Fetcher's return from rehab and his alleged relapse into theft to obtain the substance.
A nearly $200,000-a-year public servant, fresh out of rehab, allegedly rifling through coworkers' purses and desks to scrape together money for smoke-shop purchases. That is the caliber of personnel Minneapolis city hall has been putting on the public payroll, and taxpayers are the ones left holding the bill.
