A former North Dakota State University football player allegedly stole a bag containing various items, including a Rolex watch valued at $228,000, from a parked boat during the Fourth of July, according to FOX 9.
Twenty-year-old William Frattalone faces one count of felony theft in connection with the incident, FOX 9 reported. According to an Aug. 27 complaint, Frattalone allegedly took the bag from a parked boat outside Maynard’s Restaurant on Lake Minnetonka during the Fourth of July. In addition to the Rolex, the bag also contained a bottle of cologne valued at $400, between $5,000 and $10,000 in cash, $25,000 worth of clothing, and other items.
D1 college football player booted from team after allegedly swiping designer bag, high-end clothes and $228K Rolex from boat https://t.co/6f8ZRKkVMD pic.twitter.com/fF6dblwSJN
— New York Post (@nypost) September 9, 2025
According to the complaint, an individual identified only as “I.B.” was on a friend’s boat at the same time as Frattalone and had stored the bag in a sealed cabin before eating at Maynard’s Restaurant. When I.B. returned to the boat, the bag was missing, and Frattalone was allegedly seen carrying the bag, according to a restaurant employee. Frattalone was then escorted out of the restaurant for violating its bag policy, the outlet reported, citing the complaint.
Another guest on the boat purportedly contacted Frattalone about the missing bag, and the 20-year-old allegedly said his parents would “write a check” for the bag’s contents, according to the same complaint. Law enforcement eventually recovered the bag from Frattalone’s home, with the Rolex being the only item that was missing, FOX 9 reported. (RELATED: ‘She Was Screaming Her Brains Out’: 87-Year-Old Says He Used Boxing Training To Fend Off Jewelry Thieves In Manhattan)
The victim of the alleged theft, who asked not to be identified, provided text messages to the Minnesota Star Tribune about the incident, telling the outlet he gave Frattalone the opportunity to return the bag.
“Bro, we have you on video taking the bag,” a text between the alleged victim and Frattalone provided to the outlet read. “We can do this one of two ways. You can bring the bag back with everything that was in it with no hard feelings or I can continue with the police report and send them your info and go that route.”
“Hey man, I did not take anyone’s bag other than my own,” Frattalone responded, according to the same text messages.
Search warrant affidavits indicate Frattalone may have allegedly committed another theft around the same time, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. Police also found four other Rolex watches with identification cards belonging to two men when they searched the 20-year-old’s home.
Following the incident, Frattalone was dismissed from North Dakota State University’s football team and will not be allowed to re-join, KVRR reported. A transfer student from Northern Iowa, Frattalone did not play in any games last season, according to KVRR.
Frattalone was previously involved in a 2024 incident where he got into a fight with two teammates, and one allegedly fired a gun inside a house, the Brainerd Dispatch reported. Frattalone was not charged in the incident.
The 20-year-old is scheduled to appear in court regarding the felony theft charge on Sept. 11, according to FOX 9.