Ramsey County public defender and former assistant attorney general resigns in fallout from sexual abuse charges

A former Ramsey County public defender and assistant attorney general has resigned and won’t serve prison time after the resolution of criminal sexual conduct charges filed against him, while his accuser calls the outcome “egregiously lenient.”

Adam Kujawa, 38 of St. Paul, faced criminal charges in Washington, Ramsey and Cook counties dating back to 2021. The Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office did not place Kujawa on leave as cases were pending, and he remained employed up until his resignation last week following his plea. Kujawa entered an Alford plea, meaning that he maintains his innocence but knows a jury would likely find him guilty at trial.

The woman penned a lengthy statement read by a victim advocate at Kujawa’s plea hearing, blasting the system, she said, that allowed him to skirt responsibility. She said he perpetuated a long-term domestic violence relationship.

“The degree, severity, and longevity of his abuse of me is not represented in this plea deal. I was not part of the process of crafting or extending this deal, and I do not feel seen or heard. I feel as though I am being victimized again by this agreement,” she wrote. “I know that this is just another file on your desk, but please know that I am a person, not just a piece of evidence, whose life has been dismantled and whose entire person has been maliciously destructed by this man.”

According to a Washington County Attorney’s Office spokesperson, there were a series of three meetings held in recent weeks leading up to the plea hearing to gather input from the victim.

Court documents portray a toxic relationship full of sexually explicit text messages, infidelity and accusations of sexual abuse from the woman who says she felt trapped in the relationship with Kujawa for four years.

The Star Tribune does not identify sexual assault victims unless they consent to being named. Kujawa’s attorney, David Lundgren, declined to comment.

Third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in Ramsey County were dismissed last July on a lack of probable cause. Following that, four of the same charges were filed in Cook County. In Washington County, Kujawa was originally charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor. The plea deal amended the felony charge to criminal sexual predatory conduct with the underlying predatory crime being false imprisonment.

Kujawa will be sentenced July 8. The plea agreement calls for a cap on potential jail time of up to six months. He will be on probation four years and the sex offender registry for 10 years.

As part of the plea, prosecutors in Cook County agreed to dismiss the case through what is known as a “global plea agreement” reached in Washington County. The plea also includes the agreement that Kujawa will not face any potential charges out of Crow Wing County. The Aitkin County Attorney’s Office also agreed to not file or prosecute the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge it has drafted and prepared for filing.

According to the charges, Kujawa and the woman were on his boat on Forest Lake on May 15, 2021. A witness reported to police that she saw him grab the victim by the hips and pull her toward him. The witness also saw Kujawa place his hands up the victim’s dress at least five times and the victim told him no and to stop it. The victim was interviewed by police and said that Kujawa sexually assaulted her five to six times during the incident and she tried getting away.

In the Ramsey County case that was dismissed, charges state that the woman called police to a home in St. Paul to report a sexual assault Sept. 29, 2021. She told police that for the past two days, Kujawa had sex with her and she did not leave or tell him to stop because he would get aggressive and she feared consequences. She was also experiencing pain and went to get a sexual assault examination where nurses noted vaginal injuries.

She told police that initially in the relationship the sex was consensual. But eventually, she said, if she refused, he would get violent and torment or stalk her. Two witnesses told police they observed Kujawa verbally and sexually assault her.

The four criminal charges in Cook County accuse Kujawa of sexually assaulting the woman while on separate ski trips to Lutsen in 2020 and 2021. The first trip was after the sexual assault exam. Still needing time to heal, she told a Cook County sheriff’s deputy that she declined to have sex with Kujawa on the trip. But he held her down and forced her to have sex multiple times. On the second trip to Lutsen, she said she didn’t fight as hard because of the pain.

The head of the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office, John Riemer, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Minnesota’s chief public defender, Bill Ward, declined to discuss why Kujawa wasn’t placed on administrative leave.

“As you know, personnel matters are private and, as such, I will not discuss how this matter has been handled internally while the charges were pending,” Ward said in an email.

Prior to the charges, Kujawa worked as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas School of Law and for Ambrose Law Firm part time. The firm said Kujawa is no longer employed there. St. Thomas said Kujawa has not taught there since 2021.

Kujawa was sworn in as assistant attorney general in 2013 and stayed with the office until 2017. That year, he joined Ramsey County as a public defender. As of January, he was making a part-time salary of about $65,000.

One of Kujawa’s former colleagues, public defender Adrianne McMahon, told the Star Tribune that it was concerning that Kujawa was allowed to attend trainings and retreats as the cases were pending. McMahon said the only change made in light of the charges was that he was removed from juvenile cases.

There are more that 25,000 licensed attorneys in Minnesota. It’s rare for them to face criminal charges. In July, attorney Anders Odegaard was convicted for fatally beating his ex-wife. He also entered an Alford plea in that case.

The Minnesota Supreme Court received a petition for disciplinary action against Odegaard, but the court has not received a petition for Kujawa. However, the Minnesota Board of Professional Responsibility will issue a decision on Kujawa’s law license.