Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is asking Minnesota voters to send her to the U.S. Senate.
But as she campaigns for a promotion to Washington, one of the Walz-Flanagan administration’s past appointments is getting another look.
Gov. Tim Walz and Flanagan appointed Trahern Pollard — a man with a prior theft-by-swindle conviction — to Minnesota’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee in 2021. Four years later, they reappointed him.
The committee provides “leadership and guidance” for Minnesota’s juvenile justice system, with responsibilities involving a “three-year strategic plan” and the awarding of grants.
“In 2026, eliminating ethnic and racial disparities remains JJAC’s highest priority. Our planning, funding, and policy recommendations are intentionally focused on supporting community-based solutions and practices that keep youth connected to their families and communities,” said a January 2026 message from Pollard, who apparently became chair of the committee.
Now Pollard and the nonprofit he founded, We Push for Peace — one of Minneapolis’ “violence interrupter” groups that received taxpayer funding in the years following the George Floyd riots — are at the center of a civil lawsuit from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office alleging more than $6.5 million in charitable assets were misused.
The attorney general’s office contends more than $6 million of that benefited Pollard personally.
And according to the lawsuit, Pollard was living large on the money.
The attorney general alleges charitable assets went toward luxury vehicles, trips to Las Vegas, child-support payments and funding Pollard’s for-profit liquor store and car dealership.
Alpha News previously reported on the allegations against We Push for Peace after Ellison filed the lawsuit in May, which estimates the nonprofit took in more than $25.6 million in revenue between 2020 and 2025.
The lawsuit alleges Pollard and former director Jaclyn McGuigan — who court documents say were in an intimate relationship — diverted nonprofit assets for their own benefit and attempted to conceal the alleged misuse from regulators and tax authorities.
Alpha News asked the Flanagan campaign whether the lieutenant governor knew about Pollard’s theft-by-swindle conviction when he was appointed in 2021 or reappointed in 2025, and what vetting or background review was conducted.
Alpha News also asked whether Flanagan believes Pollard should have been appointed to a committee responsible for juvenile justice grants given his prior conviction, and whether her office had concerns about Pollard or We Push for Peace before his appointment.
Her campaign suggested Alpha News direct the inquiry to the governor’s office, which did not respond.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
