SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man is facing charges after dozens of Minnesotans say they paid him for food trucks that never showed up.
Food truck business under investigation
What we know:
Omar Alexis Emmanuel Cruz, 41, is charged with felony theft after prosecutors say he took large down payments from 37 people in Minnesota who wanted custom food trucks. Investigators say Cruz promised faster service to customers who paid more upfront, but none of them ever got their trucks.
Police say the scheme lasted from July 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025. Cruz’s business started in St. Paul and later moved to South St. Paul in early 2025. Complaints started coming in on June 30, 2025, and police began looking into the business.
How investigators built the case
The backstory:
Investigators say they found contracts and invoices in the trash at the business and got more paperwork from customers. They also checked Cruz’s bank records and say he spent the money on personal things like vacations, plane tickets, entertainment, food, strip-club ATM withdrawals and wire transfers to Mexico, instead of using it for the business.
Many customers found the business closed and empty when they tried to confront Cruz or pick up their trailers.
Connection to Texas case
Big picture view:
Cruz was arrested Aug. 23, 2025, on a federal warrant from Texas for a similar food-truck scheme. In that case, more than $1 million was lost. Cruz pleaded guilty in June 2026 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the Texas case. Minnesota prosecutors plan to use evidence from Texas to help prove their case.
The charges state the theft in Minnesota totaled over $858,000.
The Source: This story is based on a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County and details from a related federal case in Texas.