He may have told you his car died on the freeway and he needed money for a tow. He may have knocked on your door and said a friend or a church member told him to approach you for money. But Minneapolis officials say the clean-cut, pleasant man, Mark Christopher Bell, 50, of Oakdale, is a scam artist with a long list of criminal convictions and they want to know how his behavior has affected you. The city is specifically asking for community impact statements ahead of a hearing. It asks that those with a comment contact Elizabeth.Clark@ci.minneapolis.mn.us by September 30. The city would also like to compile a list of Bell's solicitations in the past year. If he has approached you, contact Christopher.Dixon@minneapolismn.gov with the approximate date, time, location and a short synopsis of what occured.
