Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty generated controversy last month by telling prosecutors to take race into account when negotiating plea agreements.

That decision has met with opposition from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who charged that it is unconstitutional. 

Investigation will focus on "illegal consideration of race"

According to Breitbart, that complaint was laid out in a letter sent to Moriarty late last week by Bondi and Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon.

They said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will determine whether the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) had "engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States."

This week we @TheJusticeDept @CivilRights opened a racial discrimination pattern and practice investigation into Hennepin County, Minnesota’s recently announced policy of taking race into consideration in plea offers. More to come. pic.twitter.com/VLn1998Obl

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) May 4, 2025

"In particular, the investigation will focus on whether HCAO engages in illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making," Bondi and Dhillon wrote.

Case will be overseen by the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections

"Please be assured that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation. We will consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be," they stressed.

"We would appreciate your cooperation in our investigation," the pair continued before adding, "In our years enforcing civil rights statutes involving state and local law enforcement agencies, we have worked with jurisdictions of all sizes across the nation to resolve investigations, usually without contested litigation."

Bondi and Dhillon further explained that the investigation will be overseen by the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections.

Moriarty was also told that she will be contacted "shortly to set up a mutually agreeable date and time to discuss the parameters of this investigation, including the scope of information that we will be seeking from you."

Moriarty refused to charge man who vandalized Teslas

Breitbart noted that Moriarty made headlines last month when she decided not to charge a man for vandalizing six Teslas and causing $20,000 worth of damage.

Fox 9 reported that HCAO spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping defended the decision in a statement released on April 23.

"Our main priorities are to secure restitution for the victims and hold Mr. Adams accountable. As a result, we will file for pre-charge diversion to best facilitate both of those goals," Borgertpoepping explained.

The move was criticized by Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O'Hara, who said, "Any frustration related to the charging decision of the Hennepin County Attorney should be directed solely at her office."