William David Frattalone, a former North Dakota State University cornerback, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property in connection with the theft of a $228,000 Rolex and other luxury items from a boat docked at Maynards restaurant on Lake Minnetonka. The reduced charge followed an agreement that could result in dismissal after probation rather than a felony conviction; the watch has not been recovered.
Under the agreement, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office agreed to drop two felony theft counts and will not argue for jail time, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The arrangement uses a legal mechanism known as a stay of adjudication, under which a judge may withhold entering a formal conviction after a guilty plea and place the defendant on probation, according to Keil Defense. If Frattalone completes one year of probation from sentencing, the charge will be dismissed, the Star Tribune reported. That outcome would remove the conviction, but does not necessarily mean every record of the case would disappear. Sentencing is scheduled for November 3.
How the Theft Unfolded at Maynards
The theft happened on the night of July 4, 2025, outside Maynards restaurant in Excelsior, where the victim had docked his 37-foot cabin cruiser, named Liquid Asset, on Lake Minnetonka. The victim had stored a large duffle bag in the boat's sealed cabin area, and Frattalone was among the people aboard that night, per the Star Tribune. The victim returned to the boat around 10:15 p.m. and reported the bag missing.
A Maynards employee had already crossed paths with Frattalone earlier that evening, stopping him as he tried to walk through the restaurant carrying the Louis Vuitton duffle bag and reminding him of the restaurant's rules against large bags before escorting him off the premises, according to Bring Me The News. Frattalone reportedly told the employee he was taking the bag to his car before leaving the scene. The initial response and crime report for the dockside theft were handled by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol unit, the same outlet reports.
Comparable Watch-Theft Cases and Reporting Guidance
The case is not the only prosecution involving an expensive Rolex. In a separate Hennepin County matter, the Minnesota Court of Appeals said Vennie J. Williams was charged in July 2002 with stealing watches valued at more than $42,000 and ultimately was convicted of felony theft involving two Rolex watches valued above $35,000, according to the court's opinion. In Tennessee, WZTV Fox 17 Nashville reported that a Rolex valued at about $30,000 was stolen from a vehicle in Hendersonville on Nov. 11, 2023, after its owners visited a Nashville jewelry store; that case was investigated as part of a suspected “jugging” scheme, distinct from the Lake Minnetonka boat theft.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol advises residents to call 911 or 952-258-5321 to report boat or equipment theft, according to the agency. The public guidance cited here addresses how to report a theft but does not establish additional access or security rules for Maynards or other waterfront businesses.
AirPods and Cell Phone Video Led Investigators to His Bedroom
Investigators tracked the bag's location shortly after the theft when Apple AirPods packed inside it pinged at a residence on the 5000 block of Meadville Street in Excelsior in the early morning hours of July 5, 2025, according to the same report from Bring Me The News. Frattalone never returned the missing bag, and police eventually found it in his bedroom in Deephaven, along with much of the clothing that had been packed inside it, per the Star Tribune.
Authorities also obtained cellphone video showing the boat or cubby area, according to a report cited by usports.org. When confronted, Frattalone reportedly said his parents were wealthy and would write a check for whatever was inside the bag, the Star Tribune reports.
What Was Inside the Missing Bag
Along with the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in platinum with an ice-blue dial, the bag's contents included a Louis Vuitton Keepall 55 valued at $2,400, limited-edition clothing worth $25,000, cologne valued at $400, and cash estimated between $5,000 and $10,000, according to the Star Tribune. The bag also held a car key, a passport, the Apple AirPods that helped investigators track it down, and work flash drives belonging to the victim.
The Rolex remains the biggest unanswered piece of the case. Court documents value the stolen platinum Daytona at $228,000. Jaztime describes the model's retail price as nearly $80,000 and says its secondary-market value is higher. Police never recovered that watch. When the sheriff's office searched Frattalone's bedroom on August 1, 2025, they instead found four other Rolexes, along with identification cards belonging to two other men, per the Star Tribune's reporting.
Booking, Charges and a Felony Avoided
Hennepin County Jail records show Frattalone was booked into custody on a Friday morning and was released three days later on August 4, according to KFGO. Formal theft charges followed later that month. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.52, theft of property valued above $35,000 carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, according to Keil Defense — the exposure Frattalone faced before the plea deal replaced it with probation and a path to a clean record.
Football Career and a Prior Brush With Trouble
Frattalone played high school football and lacrosse at Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park before joining NDSU's football team as a cornerback who had not yet appeared in a game. After his arrest, head coach Tim Polasek announced Frattalone's permanent dismissal from the team, barring him from fall camp and from returning to the program in any capacity, according to On3.
This was not the first time Frattalone's name surfaced in a police report tied to the NDSU program. He was previously named in connection with a September 2023 incident in which teammate Jaiden Pickett fired a gun during a fight with a track athlete outside a private residence; Pickett was later sentenced to three years in prison in March 2025. Frattalone was recorded encouraging the fight at the time but was not charged, according to Athlon Sports. Frattalone now lives in Arizona, per the Star Tribune.
The case remains focused on the theft from the Lake Minnetonka-area boat. The $228,000 Rolex has not been recovered, and the reports cited here do not detail any restitution terms for the missing property.
