MINNEAPOLIS — The winery business owned by Tim Mynett, husband of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has drawn federal scrutiny amid questions about its valuation and operations, while also raising eyebrows within Muslim communities over potential violations of Islamic law prohibiting alcohol.
Mynett, a political consultant who converted to Islam before marrying Omar in 2020, launched eStCru, a California-based wine company, around the same time. The venture, which subcontracted production to winemakers along the West Coast, quickly became part of a broader portfolio that reportedly boosted the couple's net worth to as much as $30 million. However, eStCru's short-lived run has been marred by financial troubles, unpaid debts, and a lawsuit from an investor, prompting investigations by the House Oversight Committee and the Department of Justice.
According to Omar's financial disclosure filed in May 2025, covering the 2024 calendar year, she valued eStCru between $1 million and $5 million. This assessment came more than a year after the company had ceased operations, fueling speculation about the basis for such a figure. In her previous disclosure for 2023, when the business was still active, Omar had reported its value much lower, between $15,000 and $50,000.
A spokesperson for eStCru told the New York Post that the company was not a traditional winery but a direct-to-consumer operation that is now defunct. “While reports have made it seem like eStCru was a physical winery, it wasn’t. It was a direct-to-consumer wine company that is no longer operational and for which Mr. Mynett won’t show income derived in a 2025 statement,” the spokesperson said.
The company's website went dark in November 2024, and court documents from early 2024 indicated eStCru had only $650 in its bank account. eStCru operated as one of more than 20 labels housed in a Santa Rosa, California, storage space called Punchdown, part of a larger wine collective. Punchdown's owner confirmed to the New York Post that Mynett's label was among those it supported at the time.
Despite its brief prominence—eStCru was named “hot brand of the year” in 2022—the venture faltered by early 2023. Winemakers reported not receiving payments, and the brand stopped advertising on social media. It produced a limited selection of wines, including a Malbec called “The Devil’s Lie,” a Cabernet Sauvignon named “Blockchain,” and a red blend “Overt,” which some drinkers described as “flimsy” and “tart.”
Mynett and his business partner, Will Hailer—both Democratic operatives who previously worked for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison—faced legal trouble in fall 2023. A Washington, D.C., restaurateur sued them, alleging he had been swindled out of $300,000 invested in 2021. The investor claimed the pair “fraudulently misrepresented” eStCru as a legitimate company. The case was settled out of court, according to records.
The winery's alcohol focus has sparked criticism from some Muslim leaders, given Omar's status as a practicing Muslim and Mynett's conversion. Islamic law strictly bans alcohol, deeming it “haram,” or sinful. A spokesperson for Omar's office stated in 2020, following the wedding, “I assure you that they got married in accordance with Islam and the law, and Ilhan’s husband converted to Islam,” in response to questions from BBC Somalia.
Republican National Committee Press Secretary Kiersten Pels commented on the situation, saying, “We’re not experts in Islamic law — but we’re pretty sure scamming the American people for a living violates every religion.”
This is not the first time the couple has faced questions about adherence to Islamic principles. Mynett's ex-wife, Beth Mynett, the medical director for the D.C. Department of Corrections, suspected an affair between Mynett and Omar as early as 2018, when Omar hired him for her first congressional campaign. The couple has denied the allegations. In 2019, Mynett was photographed carrying multiple six-packs of Stella Artois beer to Omar's Washington, D.C., apartment and picking her up in his blue Mustang while smoking a cigarette—both acts considered “haram” under Islamic law.
Adultery, another accusation leveled against them, is punishable by stoning in strict interpretations of Islamic law. One local Somali community leader told the Daily Mail, “She is a figurehead for us, the most famous Somali in America and she has embarrassed us.” The leader added, “I don’t know what she is thinking,” regarding the adultery claims.
The eStCru saga unfolds against a backdrop of other controversies surrounding Omar. The congresswoman, born in Somalia and a member of the progressive “Squad,” is under fire for her connections to a $9 billion fraud scandal in Minnesota's Somali community. Questions persist about what she knew regarding the scheme, which involved misuse of federal funds.
Mynett's business ventures, including eStCru, have been scrutinized as part of probes into the couple's finances. The House Oversight Committee and the Department of Justice are examining how such enterprises contributed to their reported wealth, now estimated at up to $30 million. Omar's office has not immediately responded to requests for further comment on the winery's valuation or the ongoing investigations.
Experts in Islamic law have not publicly weighed in on the couple's specific situation, but the prohibition on alcohol is a foundational tenet in the faith. For many in the Muslim community, Omar represents a trailblazing figure as one of the first Muslim women in Congress, making these reports particularly sensitive.
As federal probes continue, the story of eStCru highlights the intersection of business, politics, and personal faith in the lives of public figures. Whether the winery's troubles will lead to formal charges or further revelations remains unclear, but it has already amplified calls for transparency from both political opponents and community advocates. Omar, who won reelection in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District in 2024, faces these challenges heading into what could be a contentious period in her career.