Son of former Mpls. nonprofit head to stand trial for conspiracy

Nearly a week after William Davis pleaded guilty in federal court to 16 charges involving misuse of taxpayer money and conspiracy to commit fraud, his son Jordan James Davis will stand trial for his alleged involvement.

The indictment says Jordan managed an ice cream shop funded by Community Action of Minneapolis, the nonprofit run by his father for 24 years. And prosecutors say Jordan later left the position to become a Minneapolis police officer, but still received payments totaling $140,000 over a four-year period.

"During the nearly four years Jordan Davis was being paid for a no-show job at Ben & Jerry's, CAM's fiscal staff repeatedly advised William Davis to stop the payments, but William Davis refused," reads the indictment.

In a court motion, Jordan's defense attorney, Fred Bruno, said he will present evidence at trial to show that Jordan's on-call status with the ice cream shop was legal and a common business practice.

In a pre-trial hearing held Tuesday in front of federal Judge Patrick Schiltz, Bruno argued that the trial should include testimony on Jordan's experience as a police officer. Jordan was shot and wounded while on duty last year, and has received accolades for his service on the force.

Bruno said since the government is alleging his client worked a no-show job, he felt it was appropriate to present evidence that Jordan's strong work ethic contradicted the government's claims.

However, Schiltz ruled that Jordan's alleged actions, not his character, are important. And he ruled against having witnesses or attorneys mention Jordan's service record as it pertains to his personal moral standing.

Following William Davis' guilty pleas last week, Bruno told MPR News that he felt more confident about Jordan's case. But he didn't elaborate on why he felt that way.

The trial is expected to last until early next week. Minneapolis police union officials say Jordan is on desk assignment.