He is accused of pocketing church donations.
A city council member in Connecticut has been taken into custody for allegedly embezzling funds from a church where he held various roles over the past few years. Hartford City Councilman Alexander Thomas surrendered to law enforcement on Tuesday and is facing charges of money laundering and larceny after reportedly stealing more than $14,000 from the South Church of Hartford.
Rev. Adam Soderberg of South Church expressed feelings of sadness and betrayal regarding the situation. The church began noticing financial discrepancies last year, with Thomas asserting that the missing funds were allocated to different ministries and a local YMCA. Soderberg remarked, “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.”
The church community prompted an investigation into the financial irregularities in June, following Thomas’s dismissal from his role as director of Children and Family Ministries at South Church. Hartford City Council President Shirley Sturgeon emphasized the responsibility of council members to maintain the trust of the residents, stating, “There’s an appropriate legal process in place, and I trust our local law enforcement to see that process through.”
The Working Families Party, to which Thomas belongs, has urged him to resign in light of the allegations, labeling the charges as “both troubling and inexcusable.” They voiced their concerns over Thomas’s arrest, calling it a distraction from the party’s mission to advocate for workers’ rights and community needs in Hartford and throughout Connecticut.