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Complete Story
11/04/2026
MN Cannabis Services employee stole $28K by making fake checks: Charges
Fox 9 KMSP
Minnesota Cannabis Services check fraud
What we know: John Nguyen Lutgen, of St. Paul, faces one count of theft by swindle and one count of check forgery as part of a scheme that allegedly occurred between July 10 and Aug. 19, 2026.
Dig deeper:
According to charges filed in Hennepin County, on Aug. 21, 2026, Edina police received a report from the compliance officer at Minnesota Cannabis Services, located in the city of Edina, that an audit had revealed an employee, identified as Lutgen, had siphoned money from the business and was depositing it into his own personal bank account after checks were discovered to have been altered.
The tip said that Minnesota Cannabis Services was alerted to suspicious behavior by the City of Inver Grove Heights when they were asked to rewrite a check to Lutgen instead of the business.
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