Legal
74
Stories
11
Related Topics
Local
MN clemency panel backs pardon for Lao refugee facing deportation
On Friday, August 7, 2026, the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission formally voted to recommend a pardon for La Thammavong, a Lao refugee facing deportation whom supporters say would likely die if removed. FOX 9
Local
Ramsey County seeks gang injunction, 'Safety Zone' at State Fair
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a civil lawsuit asking a court to declare two groups criminal gangs and create a "Safety Zone" at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. FOX 9
Local
Man fleeing deputies drowns after driving into St. Croix
A man fleeing Chisago County deputies drove his car into the St. Croix River and drowned just before 6 p.m. Thursday at the Railroad Landing river access. FOX 9
Local
AG settles with lender over illegal home-equity loans
Minnesota Attorney General settled with Unlock Partnership Solutions for $944,626 over unlawful home-equity loans and barred the company from lending in Minnesota without a mortgage license. FOX 9
Local
Judge: Probable cause Lindell pillow handout broke MN campaign law
On Friday, August 7, 2026, a Minnesota judge found probable cause that Mike Lindell violated state campaign-finance bribery rules by handing out MyPillows at the July 4 Delano parade. FOX 9
Local
Vandalism surge targets Twin Cities Flock cameras amid privacy backlash
Cities across the Twin Cities region are reporting a surge of vandalism and theft targeting Flock automated license-plate reader cameras. FOX 9 Rice County charged Faribault resident Justin Lee Campbell, 41, with stealing a Flock camera and related counts after an alleged July 27 removal. FOX 9
Local
St. Paul Mayor Her dodges harassment questions at Grand Ave event as probe continues
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her declined to answer questions about an ongoing sexual harassment investigation Thursday at the Grand Victoria mixed-use project groundbreaking on Grand Avenue, saying she did not want to be "distracted." FOX 9
Local
Woodbury brothers get 15 years for fentanyl pipeline
Two Woodbury brothers were sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl pipeline that moved nearly 30 kilograms of pills from Arizona to the Twin Cities. FOX 9
Local
MDH jalapeño-linked salmonella outbreak now spawns Roseville Chipotle lawsuit
A federal civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Minnesota woman who says she was hospitalized with salmonella after eating a chicken burrito bowl from the Roseville Chipotle at Fairdale Shoppes on June 24, 2026. FOX 9
Local
Minnesota joins multistate suit over TANF data-sharing
Minnesota joined more than 20 states and D.C. in a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., challenging a Trump administration policy to share TANF recipient data. FOX 9
Local
ICE and CoreCivic set 2026 opening for 1,600-bed Appleton immigration lockup
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison operator CoreCivic plan to open a 1,600-bed immigration detention center at the former Appleton, Minnesota, prison before the end of 2026, and ICE says it will put the facility into active use rather than holding it in reserve. Minnesota Reformer
Local
Champlin neighbor charged over Hoffman July 4 fireworks
Jeffery Scott Maciej, 66, of Champlin, was charged with gross misdemeanor harassment and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after video showed him setting off loud fireworks outside his neighbors' house on July 4, 2026. FOX 9
Local
Parole board to weigh release of 1970 St. Paul cop killer
The Minnesota Supervised Release Board will consider parole for Ronald Reed on Tuesday, Aug. 11 in St. Paul, over the 1970 killing of Officer James Sackett. FOX 9
Local
Boelter's state murder case stalls as he raises health, solitary confinement complaints
Vance Boelter raised health and religious-rights complaints at his first Hennepin County state-court appearance on August 3 as prosecutors restart state murder charges, and the judge delayed any substantive rulings. FOX 9
Local
Brooklyn Center teen charged in random Minneapolis home-invasion rape attempt
Nineteen-year-old Cordero Orlando Ratcliff Jr. of Brooklyn Center was charged after allegedly breaking into an occupied south Minneapolis home on July 31 and attempting to rape a woman. FOX 9
Local
Minnesota stiffens prison terms for big Medicaid fraud
Minnesota has raised the penalty for Medicaid fraud over $1,000,000 by placing those offenses at Severity Level 8 on the state sentencing grid, creating a presumptive prison sentence effective August 1, 2026. FOX 9
Local
Hennepin County presses Abbott to extradite ICE agent
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on July 30 asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign extradition papers to return ICE agent Christian Castro to Minnesota to face criminal charges. FOX 9
Local
Five metro men charged in sexual abuse of 14-year-old runaway
Five Twin Cities men were charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after authorities say they sexually abused a 14-year-old runaway who was found in Minneapolis following a June 13 missing-person report. FOX 9
Local
Man critically wounded in shooting outside Minneapolis strip club
A man was found with apparent life-threatening gunshot wounds after a shooting shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday outside Deja Vu Showgirls on Washington Ave N near 3rd Ave N in Minneapolis' Warehouse District. FOX 9
Local
Head-on DWI crash critically injures two on Hwy. 61
Two drivers were critically injured in a head-on crash on Highway 61 near Aspen Lane in White Bear Township just before 1 a.m. Saturday, and a 25-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of DWI. FOX 9
Local
Blaine sting nets 24 in child-sex solicitation case
Blaine police arrested 24 people after a two-day undercover online sting in which suspects allegedly offered to pay for sex with someone they believed was underage. FOX 9
Local
Judge lets Minnesota AI nudification ban take effect despite xAI lawsuit
A federal judge denied xAI's request for a temporary restraining order, allowing Minnesota's new ban on AI "nudification" tools to take effect on Aug. 1. FOX 9
Local
Faribault man charged with stealing Flock police camera
A Faribault man, Justin Lee Campbell, 41, was charged July 29 with stealing a Flock police camera removed from Lyndale Avenue South near Highland Place. FOX 9
Local
Feeding Our Future No. 2 extradited, pleads not guilty
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, pleaded not guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota to 31 counts tied to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme after being extradited from Somalia on July 16. FOX 9
Local
Trump DOE probes MN schools over U of M 'transgender dolls' project
The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation Friday into a University of Minnesota-backed MyGenderDolls project after parents said the dolls were used in Minnesota classrooms without notice or an opt-out. Alphanews
Local
Second teen arrested in Hartkopf Park murder
U.S. Marshals arrested a 17-year-old in Peoria, Illinois, on July 29 on a murder warrant tied to the Hartkopf Park shooting that killed a 16-year-old. FOX 9
Local
Pearson's closing St. Paul candy plant Sept. 28; union alleges bad-faith bargaining
Pearson's Candy Co. will close its St. Paul plant at 2140 W. 7th St. on Sept. 28, 2026, laying off about 80 workers, a WARN notice shows. FOX 9
Local
AG shuts down Blaine nonprofit over stadium wage scheme
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has reached a settlement that orders Blaine-based MN Fundraising Initiative to stop operating in Minnesota and to dissolve. FOX 9
Local
Wyoming man charged over screw 'spike strip' by park
Kyle James Steffen, 38, of Wyoming, Minnesota, was charged in Chisago County after police say he placed a screw-studded "pitfall" along the edge of Goodview Park; the complaint came April 28, 2026. FOX 9
Local
Downtown St. Paul homicide under active investigation
A person was fatally shot on the 200 block of 7th Street East in downtown St. Paul early Thursday, and police are treating the death as a homicide. FOX 9
Local
Highway 62 ICE gun case snarls over victims' Fifth Amendment demands
Victims in the Highway 62 gun-pointing case said they will invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify at a Hennepin County hearing unless the federal government grants them immunity. FOX 9
Local
Minneapolis sex offender admits exploiting at least 12 girls online
Christopher Allan Amelsberg, 36, of Minneapolis pleaded guilty July 27 to producing and attempting to produce child pornography after admitting he exploited at least 12 girls online. FOX 9
Local
Plymouth couple charged in $2M-plus tax fraud case
Scott and Angel Hill of Plymouth were charged with six felony counts of failing to file individual returns and six felony counts of failing to pay individual income tax, prosecutors said. FOX 9
Local
Four plead guilty in $2.25M Medicaid housing fraud via Brilliant Minds
Four men have pleaded guilty in Minnesota to a scheme that bilked Medicaid of about $2.25 million by billing housing services under the company name Brilliant Minds. Alphanews
Local
Minneapolis fentanyl courier convicted in federal case
A federal jury in Minneapolis convicted Michaela Karon McKinney on three counts tied to fentanyl trafficking in July 2026, and she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison under the charges. FOX 9
Local
South Minneapolis rally targets ICE, sanctuary push after Pretti and Good shootings
Hundreds of protesters in south Minneapolis rallied to demand ICE leave Minnesota and to press city and state officials for sanctuary-style policies after two fatal encounters involving federal agents. FOX 9
Local
19-year-old charged in fatal Wedge Co-op shooting
A 19-year-old Minneapolis man was charged Friday with murder and weapons offenses in a deadly June 21 shooting at the Wedge Co-op parking lot on the 2100 block of Lyndale Avenue South. FOX 9
Local
Omar, Jayapal blocked from speaking with ICE detainees at Whipple
Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Pramila Jayapal said they were barred from speaking with ICE detainees during an oversight visit to the Whipple Federal Building in the Twin Cities on Friday, July 24, 2026. FOX 9
Local
After St. Paul leasing-office triple murder, property managers push safety and faster evictions
Twin Cities property managers said Friday they are stepping up leasing-office safety measures and backing faster eviction tools after a triple homicide at a St. Paul apartment complex that left three leasing employees dead. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Local
Brooklyn Park home-invasion sex assaults: suspect charged in two cases
Darius Olson-Baker, 25, was charged Friday in two Brooklyn Park home-invasion sexual assaults that prosecutors say occurred July 17 and July 22, and he is being held on $1 million bail. FOX 9
Local
Judge tosses wage-theft case against Brooklyn Park pastor
A judge dismissed wage-theft charges Wednesday against Bishop Harding Smith of Brooklyn Park, who leads the nonprofit Minnesota Acts Now. FOX 9
Local
Maplewood woman charged with attempted murder in CVS police stabbing
Jowharah Bilal, 49, of Maplewood, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a Maplewood police sergeant on July 21, 2026. FOX 9
Local
Ex-senator Nicole Mitchell files for Woodbury council
Nicole Mitchell has filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State to run for a Woodbury City Council seat in the November 2026 election. FOX 9
Local
Two more charged in fatal Frogtown shooting
Two men were charged Thursday in connection with a July 18 fatal shooting near Edmund Avenue West and North Kent Street in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood. FOX 9
Local
Minnesota makes police impersonation a felony Aug. 1
Minnesota will make impersonating a police officer a felony effective Aug. 1, upgrading the crime from a misdemeanor and raising the legal stakes for people who pretend to be law enforcement. FOX 9
Local
CNN: Metro Surge agents accused of lying to prosecutors
A CNN investigation alleges federal immigration agents assigned to Operation Metro Surge lied to federal prosecutors about enforcement actions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, potentially undermining criminal and immigration cases. Minnesota Reformer
Local
Farmington hit-and-run: 4 arrested, car recovered in death of 13-year-old cyclist
Farmington police arrested four people Thursday in connection with the July 14 hit-and-run that killed 13-year-old Sasha Balandin as she rode a bicycle in Farmington. FOX 9
Local
Feds drop ICE assault case against Inver Grove paraprofessional
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday moved to dismiss an assault charge against Christina Rank, an Inver Grove Heights paraprofessional, saying they could not find probable cause and dismissing the case with prejudice. FOX 9
Local
$3.7M Medicaid housing fraud suspect pleads guilty
Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, admitting he and a co-defendant fraudulently obtained millions from Minnesota's Medicaid Housing Stabilization program. FOX 9
Local
Feeding Our Future ringleader gets 10 more years for juror bribe
Abdiaziz Shafii Farah was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to bribe a juror, to run consecutive to his 28-year Feeding Our Future fraud term for a total of 38 years behind bars. FOX 9
Local
Ex-Minneapolis communications chief charged in debit card theft
Former Minneapolis chief communications officer Adam Fetcher was charged Wednesday, July 22, with financial transaction card fraud. FOX 9
Local
Feds halt over $1B in Medicaid funds as Minnesota fraud fight escalates
Federal authorities have halted more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, tying the move to fraud and program-integrity concerns and leaving Minnesota with hundreds of millions in lost funds. Minnesota Reformer
Local
Driver charged in 2024 Dayton fatal crash over app use
Jordan Thomas Land, 32, of Becker, was charged by summons in the fatal October 27, 2024, crash in Dayton, Minnesota, that killed a motorist whose disabled SUV was stopped in the center lane. FOX 9
Local
St. Louis Park teacher charged after dragging 8-year-old
A St. Louis Park teacher, Steven Samuel Burth, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child after an alleged May 5 dragging of an 8-year-old at Aquila Elementary. FOX 9
Local
Maple Grove fire chief resigns after sex assault charge
Maple Grove Fire Chief Maddison Michael Zikmund, 36, resigned effective July 16, 2026, after being charged in Anoka County with third-degree criminal sexual conduct while in a position of authority. FOX 9
Local
Man killed after argument sparks north Minneapolis shooting
One man was killed after an argument turned into a shooting Wednesday afternoon on the 200 block of 27th Avenue North in north Minneapolis, police said. FOX 9
Local
Ramsey County sues DHS over forcible removal of St. Paul U.S. citizen
Ramsey County filed a federal lawsuit on July 15, 2026, saying DHS unlawfully refused to hand over evidence in a criminal probe of a Jan. 18 ICE raid in St. Paul. FOX 9
Local
Ex-DHS agent from Eagan gets 7 years in child sex case
Timothy Ryan Gregg, 53, a former Department of Homeland Security agent from Eagan, Minnesota, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison on a transportation-of-child-sexual-images charge. FOX 9
Local
23andMe breach hits 92,000 Minnesotans; state wins payout
Minnesota will receive $514,871 from consumer genetics firm 23andMe as part of an $18 million multistate recovery tied to the company's bankruptcy over a 2023 data breach. FOX 9
Local
Burnsville crisis call ends in fatal house fire
A crisis call to a Burnsville home around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday ended in a large house fire that left one adult male dead, police said. FOX 9
Local
Lawsuit targets U of M gender identity speech rules
Young America's Foundation filed a federal lawsuit challenging the University of Minnesota's gender-identity and pronoun policies, seeking policy changes and $1 in nominal damages and alleging the rules chill speech. FOX 9
Local
State clemency panel weighs high-profile Twin Cities killers
The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission is weighing 35 commutation applications Friday, including requests from people convicted in several high-profile Twin Cities murders. FOX 9
Local
DHS deports child sex offender pardoned by Walz
The Department of Homeland Security deported Tou Lue Vang from the United States on Friday, July 10, 2026, despite a full pardon granted by Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Board of Pardons. FOX 9
Local
Facebook bans MN public radio exec over AI error
Facebook permanently disabled the account of AMPERS president and CEO Joel Glaser after it flagged two news posts as child sexual exploitation, a move tied to a June 25, 2026 suspension notice in Minnesota. FOX 9
Local
Day care owner admits $426K fraud of state pay program
Jillaine Mertens pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud after admitting she stole $426,382 from Minnesota's Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program. FOX 9
Local
CVS pays Minnesota $850K in insulin billing fraud case
CVS agreed to pay Minnesota more than $850,000 as part of a national $36.5 million settlement over alleged Medicaid insulin billing fraud. FOX 9
Local
Minneapolis day care owner pleads guilty in $5.5M fraud
Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the former CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and conspiracy for stealing more than $5.4 million. FOX 9
Local
Minneapolis-based cartel trafficker gets 200-month sentence
Juan Carlos Felix was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl out of Minneapolis. FOX 9
Local
Eagan sued over data center moratorium, hearing set
Eagan Capital sued the city over its one-year moratorium on new data centers, arguing Eagan cannot regulate electricity use; a hearing is set for Aug. 12. FOX 9
Local
Teen arrested in fatal Hartkopf Park shooting of 16-year-old
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed at Hartkopf Park in Brooklyn Park about 10:45 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 5, police said. FOX 9
Local
Inver Grove Heights officer fires shot during pursuit
An Inver Grove Heights police officer accidentally fired a single shot during a vehicle pursuit around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday near South Street and 6th Avenue South, striking the tire of the suspect's car. FOX 9
Local
Feeding Our Future defendant faces sentencing in Minneapolis
Mustafa Jama, 48, is set to be sentenced Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. FOX 9
Local
Twin Cities mom charged with murdering infant twins
A Twin Cities mother has been formally charged with murder in the deaths of her infant twins after she allegedly told others they died from vaccinations, prosecutors said. FOX 9
Local
Man killed in shooting on Minneapolis' Wilson Street
An adult man was fatally shot on Wilson Street in Minneapolis and was pronounced dead after officers responded, police said. FOX 9