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Hartford city councilman faces call to resign amid criminal case

Lawyer Ronald Johnson and Alex Thomas, a Hartford City Councilman who was previously an associate pastor at South Church, where he served as director of family ministry, in court. Police said Thomas allegedly misused a church credit card to direct funds to a shell company, then to his personal accounts. He faces charges of second degree larceny and second degree money laundering. December 4, 2024
Dave Wurtzel
/
Connecticut Public
Lawyer Ronald Johnson and Alex Thomas, a Hartford City Councilman who was previously an associate pastor at South Church, where he served as director of family ministry stand in court. Police said Thomas allegedly misused a church credit card to direct funds to a shell company, then to his personal accounts. He faces charges of second degree larceny and second degree money laundering. December 4, 2024

Embattled City Councilman Alex Thomas was silent Wednesday on whether he’ll step down from his position on the Hartford City Council while he defends against charges he embezzled money from a local church.

Thomas, a member of the Working Families Party (WFP), has faced public calls from the WFP to resign since he was arrested in October on charges of second degree larceny and second degree money laundering.

Thomas, 28, was previously an associate pastor at Hartford’s South Church. Police allege he misused a church credit card to direct more than $14,000 to a pair of entities they describe as shell companies, then on to his personal accounts. He allegedly spent the money on things like fast food, leisure activities and bills, according to records filed in court.

Thomas did not enter a plea during a brief court appearance Wednesday.

In a statement issued this week, the WFP again called on Thomas to step down, saying the accusations of misappropriating funds are a “troubling distraction” from its mission of fighting for workers' rights, education and other causes.

Thomas took office in January as a first-term councilor from the WFP, a minor party that advances progressive causes.

“The Hartford Working Families Party and the City Council must remain focused on the critical issues that impact our community,” the statement reads. “We publicly asked Alex Thomas to step down in October so that he does not distract further from these priorities, and we still believe that is the best course of action.”

Thomas served as director of family ministry at the historic church, where he led youth programs for two years, including group activities for Hartford youth.

Church leaders told Connecticut Public they removed Thomas from his position earlier this year after they became aware of charges made to a church credit card, then filed a police report.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Thomas had a Bank of America credit card issued in his name for the purpose of running his family ministry programs, with an annual discretionary budget of $25,000.

Around April 2023, a church administrator noticed money was being sent via the payment service PayPal to entities called "Youth International Work(s) and Helping Common Man," and the charges had no supporting receipts, according to the affidavit.

A church official spoke with Thomas, but similar charges continued until April 2024, prompting the church to contact PayPal, according to the affidavit. The church administrator then recognized that the email address associated with the receiving accounts belonged to Thomas, the affidavit reads.

"It appears that Alexander Thomas was paying himself with the South Church Bank of America Credit Card," the affidavit reads.

Investigators determined Helping Common Man and Youth International Works “don’t appear to have any legitimate business purpose, location, website employees or operations,” according to the affidavit. They allege Thomas used his PayPal account to transfer money from the two entities to his personal PayPal balance, then to a pair of his bank accounts.

Investigators found that Thomas didn't buy anything significant, and instead "spent the stolen funds on various, nominal, point of sale purchases, such as fast food, leisure activities, bill payments, and small ATM cash withdrawals,” according to the affidavit.

Thomas is due in court again on Jan. 22, 2025. Attorney Ronald Johnson said he is withholding comment on the criminal allegations until he reviews additional evidence.

“The state indicated they'll have the rest of the accounting and all the discovery by the next court date,” Johnson said, “and then we can expand and talk about the case and our strategy.”

Thomas and his attorney did not respond to questions about whether Thomas will remain on the council.

Council President Shirley Surgeon also did not respond to questions sent by email Wednesday about removing or replacing Thomas. She said previously that members must uphold the “values and trust placed in us" by residents.

"There’s an appropriate legal process in place, and I trust our local law enforcement to see that process through," Surgeon said in a written statement in October. "In the meantime, the City Council remains focused on serving the residents of Hartford."

Jim Haddadin is an editor for The Accountability Project, Connecticut Public's investigative reporting team. He was previously an investigative producer at NBC Boston, and wrote for newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

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