Theft of Cash and Credit cards by former Obama Press Secretary

Former Obama press secretary fired from Minneapolis post after allegedly stealing coworkers' credit cards for kratom purchases

Adam Fetcher, the 42-year-old former Obama administration press secretary who served as Minneapolis's first-ever cabinet-level chief communications officer, was fired July 1 after city employees accused him of swiping their cash and credit cards from desks and purses, then using the stolen cards to buy hundreds of dollars' worth of kratom at a nearby smoke shop.

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves contain compounds that cause mind-altering and opioid-like effects.

Minneapolis police have submitted a case file to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for potential criminal charges. The case remains under review. Under Minnesota state law, credit card fraud of the amount alleged, $481 in kratom purchases alone, would qualify as a felony-level offense.

The allegations landed just weeks after Fetcher returned from a nine-week, work-approved stint in rehab for an unspecified substance use disorder. The city paid him close to $200,000 a year. Mayor Jacob Frey had appointed him in July 2025, creating the cabinet-level communications role specifically for the hire.

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