Ex-Mpls. cop gets 2 years prison for fraud tied to nonprofit

Updated 2:20 p.m. | Posted 12 p.m.

A judge on Tuesday sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Jordan Davis to two years in prison for his role in defrauding Community Action of Minneapolis, a nonprofit once run by his father, Bill Davis, who'd earlier been convicted of fraud.

Jordan Davis had managed a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop in Minneapolis funded by the nonprofit from 2002 to 2006. Prosecutors said he left after that to become a Minneapolis police officer but still received payments from the nonprofit totaling $140,000 over four years for what was a "no-show" job at the ice cream shop.

Davis took the stand during his trial to deny that the $34,000 a year gig was a "no-show" job and that he'd served as a consultant available on 24/7 call to respond to emergencies and do technical support while being employed full time as a Minneapolis police officer.

Federal court Judge Patrick Schiltz on Tuesday called Jordan a "minor participant" in the fraud scheme orchestrated by his father, who last year pleaded guilty to defrauding the nonprofit and misusing taxpayer funds.

The money was supposed to help low-income Minneapolis residents with heating costs, career assistance and other vital services.

According to the indictment, the financial staff at Community Action of Minneapolis repeatedly advised Bill Davis to stop the payments to his son but William Davis refused.

In his trial, Bill Davis admitted to using Community Action dollars to buy and deck out a car, travel to the Bahamas with his girlfriend, travel to an out-of-town wedding and attend a Democratic Party function in Puerto Rico. He also said he falsely claimed to be married to get health insurance through the agency for his then-fiance.

Investigators have said Davis may have taken upwards of $350,000 over the years for personal use but auditors documented far more overall misspending at the agency.

Bill Davis also said during his trial that it was his idea to keep paying Jordan. Under questioning, he said there "may have been a conversation" between the two about the arrangement but they didn't talk much about it. Davis said he intervened at least once with Community Action fiscal staff to make sure the checks continued to Jordan.

Bill Davis was initially supposed to be sentenced last week, but it was delayed.

Jordan Davis will serve his sentence at federal prison in Duluth so he can be near his family, Schiltz added Tuesday.

Fred Bruno, Jordan Davis' attorney, had argued against a prison sentence saying he feared Davis would face abuse given that he once served as a police officer. Davis was wounded while working as a police officer in 2015. Bruno said the shooting wasn't an accident. "That was a targeted hit," said Bruno. "Someone has it in for my client."

Bruno also asked the judge to be lenient because Davis, unlike other people convicted of white collar crimes, did not use the ill-gotten gains for lavish gifts or trips.

"This is the opposite," said Bruno, who added that Davis got a $30,000 annual salary and "drove a 'beater' he inherited from CAM."

Schiltz said he'd sentenced other law enforcement officials to the federal prison camp in Duluth and none had faced retaliation. Bill Davis has not yet been sentenced.