Conn. city council member accused of embezzling over $14K from church
A city council member in Connecticut has been arrested for allegedly embezzling from a church that he worked at in varying capacities over the past couple of years.
Hartford City Councilman Alexander Thomas turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday. He has been charged with money laundering and larceny after allegedly stealing over $14,000 from South Church of Hartford.
"There's an overwhelming feeling of sadness, disappointment, sure, there's a level of betrayal,” said the Rev. Adam Soderberg of South Church, NBC Connecticut reported.
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According to Soderberg, the church noticed financial irregularities starting last year, with Thomas claiming that the funds were going to various ministries and a local YMCA chapter.
"One assumes some of it was legitimately used to fund the ministry because we had a ministry, but how much of it was misappropriated — we don’t know,” Soderberg said.
“It's all about accountability. This is not where we wanted to be. I do not wish ill will on Alex or the family but it was not something that could be ignored.”
Church members asked authorities to investigate the irregularities in June, the month after Thomas was fired from his position as director of Children and Family Ministries at South Church, according to WFSB of Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Hartford City Council President Shirley Sturgeon said in a statement quoted by WFSB that, as council members, “it’s incumbent upon all of us to uphold the values and trust placed in us by the residents of our city.”
“There’s an appropriate legal process in place, and I trust our local law enforcement to see that process through. In the meantime, the city council remains focused on serving the residents of Hartford,” Sturgeon said.
The Working Families Party, which Thomas belongs to, has called on the city councilman to step down in response to the allegations, calling the charges “both troubling and inexcusable.”
“We are deeply concerned by the arrest of Hartford City Council Member Alex Thomas following accusations of misappropriating funds during his former tenure as Pastor at South Church,” stated WFP, according to the New Haven-based WTNH News 8.
“While we do not have detailed information about the specifics of the complaint or the allegations giving rise to Alex’s arrest, we find this developing situation to be a troubling distraction from our party’s mission of fighting for workers’ rights, safe & affordable housing, and quality education for Hartford and similar communities across Connecticut.”
