Minnesota Police Association files ethics complaint against Mary Moriarty in trooper case

A state law enforcement group has filed an ethics complaint against Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, alleging prosecutorial misconduct in her handling of a high-profile murder case that she later dropped against a state trooper who killed motorist Ricky Cobb II last summer.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) and former GOP Minnesota Attorney General candidate Jim Schultz filed a 17-page complaint last week with the state's Office of Lawyer's Professional Responsibility requesting that the oversight body launch an investigation into "unethical behavior" that they believe violated the organization's code of conduct in pursuing the case against trooper Ryan Londregan.

The letter accuses Moriarty of knowingly making false statements, including "extrajudicial statements" meant to prejudice potential jurors, and working to undermine the administration of justice by disregarding key facts.

"Moriarty's conduct is beneath the dignity of her office. Yet rather than acknowledge her errors in judgment or the deficiencies in the process she oversaw, Moriarty has repeatedly called her unjustifiable prosecution of an innocent man not only 'ethical,' but 'courageous,'" the complaint said. "This body should not abide such brazen disregard for the responsibilities of any attorney, but particularly not for the elected prosecutor of this state's largest county."

Moriarty declined to address the complaint at an unrelated news conference Tuesday morning. However, her office issued the following statement a few hours later:

"This is an unsurprising action by the MPPOA, an organization that has consistently lobbied against attempts to hold law enforcement accountable and opposed regulations that would ban law enforcement from being involved in white supremacist groups," the statement said, referring their concerns about proposed rule changes by the police licensing board that passed last year.

"That's all we will say on the matter, and will instead continue doing our work."

Moriarty's office charged Londregan with murder and manslaughter in January for the July 31, 2023, fatal shooting of Cobb, 33, during an early morning traffic stop on I-94. Londregan fired twice from the passenger side, as Cobb shifted into drive and the vehicle lurched forward..

But as attorneys prepared for a September trial date – and after the lead prosecutor was replaced by a pricey Washington, D.C.-based law firm – Moriarty abruptly dismissed the case, claiming a secondary review of the evidence determined that she could not prove that Londregan's actions were unlawful. Her decision came just as Gov. Tim Walz, who had publicly criticized Moriarty's handling of the case, revealed that he had planned to use his legal authority to remove her from the prosecution.

"Moriarty's obviously unethical conduct can be explained only by a desire to prosecute a peace officer — regardless of the facts — to achieve political ends," said Brian Peters, executive director of the MPPOA, which funded Londregan's defense. "Moriarty admitted that even the decision to finally dismiss this case was based on her preferred policy goals, and not in the interests of justice."

Moriarty, a former public defender, ran for Hennepin County's top prosecutor job after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, campaigning on a promise to hold law-breaking police officers accountable.

In an interview with the Star Tribune outlining her decision to dismiss, Moriarty denied that the case was political for her. She criticized Londregan's defense team, police organizations and politicians for making comments that were "really inappropriate, really disrespectful to the family to Ricky Cobb."

Moriarty also accused Walz of sexism, homophobia and conflict of interest in undermining her office in favor of a criminal defendant who works for a state law enforcement agency Walz oversees.

The Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board is the oversight body that handles all misconduct complaints against state attorneys. Three-member panels can investigate and prosecute complaints warranting professional discipline.

Star Tribune staff writer Jeff Day contributed to this report.