Hennepin County has paid a private security firm $513,223 to protect County Attorney Mary Moriarty since November 2023, with spending climbing sharply every year and already surpassing every prior full year's total by the end of August 2026. The payments cover personal security services for Moriarty amid threats and stalkers directed at her office, according to county officials.
The figures, first reported by Alpha News, show Relative Intel was paid $10,950 in 2023, $103,825 in 2024 and $183,875 in 2025. By Aug. 28, 2026, payments had already reached $214,573 for the year, according to Alpha News, exceeding every previous full-year total. Hennepin County confirmed to the outlet that Relative Intel was hired to provide personal security services used by the county attorney.
Moriarty was elected Hennepin County attorney in 2022 and took office in January 2023, per Alpha News. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, this marked the first time private security funding had been approved for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, and Moriarty's office says it received the protection because of threats and stalkers. The Star Tribune reports that more than 70% of the private-security spending on Moriarty's office has occurred since the attacks carried out by Vance Boelter.
Two Contracts, Rising Ceilings
The county's first agreement with Relative Intel covered Oct. 23, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2024, and carried a maximum value of $115,000, according to the same Alpha News report. A second agreement, running from Jan. 13, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026, has a maximum value of $500,000 — more than four times the ceiling of the original contract.
The county's own accounting introduces a wrinkle. Hennepin County Attorney's Office data cited by Alpha News showed $425,000 spent under the two contracts between November 2023 and June 2026, a figure that does not match the $513,223 total reported through late August of this year. The outlet did not reconcile why the two totals differ, and it is unclear whether they cover different accounting periods or definitions.
Statewide Threats Against Officials
The spending has unfolded against a backdrop of violence against Minnesota public officials. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were killed in 2025, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot the same year, according to the Star Tribune. In response, the Minnesota Legislature approved $32 million for increased state capitol safety measures in 2025 and requested $2.9 million for increased security for state judges and court staff in 2026, per the Star Tribune's reporting.
Moriarty's office has also adopted internal protocols for threats that follow social-media postings of staff photos or names, and the office has posted alerts directing staff to call security if they see certain individuals, according to the Star Tribune. Moriarty told the paper, “The security team is a major reason I can meet with constituents across Hennepin County.”
A Break From Past Practice
Moriarty's predecessor, Mike Freeman, said he never spent county money on private security during his 24 years in office, according to the Star Tribune. The paper notes that Freeman's home sustained property damage in 2020 — the same year Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd — and that Freeman later sold the home at a loss. Hennepin County spent $19,000 on sheriff's deputies' salary and overtime to protect Freeman's home that year and paid a private firm $9,385 for a safety assessment for an assistant county attorney, the Star Tribune reported.
Hennepin County approved its arrangement with Relative Intel following a competitive 2024 vendor-roster process, according to the Star Tribune. The county also has another private-security company under contract for employees outside the County Attorney's Office, which it has used twice since 2024 and paid $1,700, the paper reported.
Unresolved Questions
The Star Tribune's reporting does not detail the specific threats or stalking incidents that prompted the security arrangement, nor does it include itemized invoices or the full text of the Relative Intel contracts. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has an operating budget of $88 million and 521 full-time employees, according to the Star Tribune, while Moriarty earns $230,000 annually in her role.
