A former Obama administration official has lost his job as Minneapolis’s top communications executive after an internal investigation tied him to the alleged theft of cash and credit cards from his own colleagues.
Adam Fetcher, 42, was terminated on July 1 from his role as Chief Communications Officer for the City of Minneapolis. Mayor Jacob Frey had appointed him to the position roughly one year earlier, making him the city’s first cabinet-level communications director. The job came with an annual salary of $186,495.
Before joining city government, Fetcher built a notable career in corporate communications, holding senior roles at Patagonia, Lyft, New Belgium Brewing, and Rivian. He also co-founded a Minneapolis consulting agency in 2016. During the Obama years, he served as deputy national press secretary for the 2012 reelection campaign and held communications positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
His dismissal followed an investigation into allegations that he stole cash, debit cards, and credit cards from the desks and purses of three city employees. The alleged incidents took place between mid-May and early June 2026, shortly after Fetcher returned from a nine-week personal leave that had been approved for treatment of a substance abuse disorder.
According to a report from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, surveillance footage from a south Minneapolis smoke shop captured Fetcher using one of the allegedly stolen cards to make a $481 kratom purchase on June 18, 2026. The shop sits less than a mile from his home, and staff there described him as a frequent customer.
Employees helped police identify him after a cardholder reported an unauthorized transaction. When Fetcher returned to the shop on a later visit, staff confronted him, then provided investigators with his identity and his vehicle’s license plate number.
The fraudulent charges, primarily made at tobacco and smoke shops, amounted to hundreds of dollars. Minneapolis police submitted a case file to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on July 8 for review of potential criminal charges. A spokesman for County Attorney Mary Moriarty confirmed the case remains under review. No charges have been filed as of this writing.
Under Minnesota law, financial transaction card fraud can rise to felony level depending on the dollar amounts involved.
Kratom is a herbal supplement derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, which is native to Southeast Asia. Its active alkaloids interact with opioid receptors in the brain, and the substance is sometimes used for pain relief, mood enhancement, or to ease opioid withdrawal symptoms. It is not federally controlled in the United States and remains legally available in many retail outlets. Prolonged use can lead to physical dependence, with withdrawal symptoms that may include anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches, and irritability.