Elmedina Raunic Young

In July 2023, Complainant began an investigation into stolen grant funds that the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (“MACF” herein), a private philanthropic foundation located in Eden Prairie, Hennepin County, Minnesota, had intended to send to one of its grantees, The Valley Hospital Association, Inc. (“VHA” herein). The investigation revealed that AMINTA LEMUS-FLORES, FKA Aminta Beatriz Rivera Flores [DOB REDACTED] (“Defendant Lemus-Flores” herein) and ELMEDINA RAUNIC YOUNG [DOB REDACTED] (“Defendant Young” herein) received large portions of the stolen funds before diverting the grant funds to other involved parties.

This Complaint focuses primarily on the actions of Defendant Young. Initial Report and Investigation MACF reported that they had intended to give a grant for $2 million to VHA, and the first payment of $1 million was to be made in June 2023. To distribute the grant money, MACF used a third-party vendor called Fluxx. A grantee entered their bank information in Fluxx, and then MACF’s finance department paid the grantee through Fluxx’s platform. On April 25, 2023, MACF employee H. G. Asked VHA employee K. S. To upload VHA’s banking information into Fluxx, but K. S. Was unable to upload the information that day.

The following day, K. S. Received an email from an email address that she believed belonged to H. G. However, the email address was a phishing email from “MACSPhil.org” instead of the correct account address of “MACPhil.org” that MACF employees used. The phishing email user then impersonated H. G. And asked K. S. To email VHA’s banking information instead of uploading it to Fluxx. K. S. Emailed the banking information and waited for the payment. Around the same time, and unbeknownst to K. S., K. S.’s Fluxx log-in credentials were changed and bank account information for an account at Bank of America with an account number ending in x3536 was entered into Fluxx.

On June 16, 2023, MACF transferred $1 million to the x3536 account. Later, MACF learned that VHA did not receive the money and the recipient account x3536 was owned by “BEATRZ LLC,” not VHA. Complainant subpoenaed records for Bank of America account x3536 and found that Defendant Lemus- Flores opened the account on April 17, 2023, and she was listed as the sole signatory and “managing member” of BEATRZ LLC. $1 million from MACF was deposited into the account on June 16, 2023. From June 22, 2023, through June 30, 2023, almost all of the money was spent or transferred out of the account through Zelle transfers, cashier’s checks, and cash withdrawals.

Two cashier’s checks that totaled $700,678 were paid to the order of “DD Phoenix Rising International LLC” and were deposited into an account at TD Bank. The sole signatory on the account was identified as Defendant Young. Surveillance video showed Defendant Lemus-Flores obtaining the cashier’s checks on June 29, 2023, and Defendant Young depositing the cashier’s checks into her account on July 3, 2023. Two other cashier’s checks that totaled $229,162 were paid to the order of “Aminta Beatriz Rivera Flores” and were deposited into a JP Morgan Chase account belonging to Defendant Lemus-Flores.