By Anthony Gockowski
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The chair of the Minnesota Freedom Fund board was charged Thursday with felony fifth-degree drug possession and a misdemeanor cannabis violation.
Alpha News was the first to report earlier this month that Valentina McKenzie was arrested Aug. 31 by Bloomington police.
According to the charges filed Thursday:
McKenzie was pulled over by police in the area of 700 East American Boulevard around 10:12 p.m. when they observed her vehicle commit a traffic violation. They found a baggie of marijuana that was not properly packaged (i.e. “open container”) in her dash and an overdose kit in the passenger door.
McKenzie grew “increasingly nervous” while speaking with the officers and, when they asked her to remove two large dogs that were in the vehicle, she instead began digging around in her purse and the center console.
Police later found a white powdery substance inside a tightly rolled dollar bill in McKenzie’s purse and a second bill that was folded around several chunks of the substance.
The substance in the rolled dollar bill weighed .04 grams and field-tested positive for fentanyl. The substance in the folded bill weighed .68 grams and also field-tested positive for fentanyl.
McKenzie’s first court appearance in the case is scheduled for Oct. 11 in Hennepin County District Court.
According to court records, McKenzie has two prior DWI convictions as well as misdemeanor prostitution convictions from 2010 and 2012.
“The Minnesota Freedom Fund can confirm that MFF board chair Valentina McKenzie was arrested on Thursday, August 31st, in Bloomington,” the Minnesota Freedom Fund previously told Alpha News in a statement. “Out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time.”
The nonprofit bail fund was founded in 2016 but gained notoriety during the protests and riots that followed the death of George Floyd when the group promised to bail out any arrested protesters. The fund took in tens of millions of dollars when it was promoted online by numerous celebrities, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since that time, the group has come under intense public scrutiny for its practice of bailing out violent criminals.
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
