Hartford city council member is charged with embezzling from a church

HARTFORD, Conn. — A member of the city council in Connecticut's capital has been charged with embezzling from a church where he worked.

Alexander Thomas, 27, surrendered Tuesday to Hartford police, who were first informed by the church in June of thefts from April 2023 to April 2024.

Police determined Thomas misused a church credit card to move money to a shell company and then to his personal accounts, Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert said in a statement Wednesday. At the time, he said, Thomas was employed by the church.

Thomas, a member of the Working Families Party, was elected in November last year to the Hartford Court of Common Council and has been in office since January. A website for the political party described him as an associate pastor at South Church in Hartford.

Thomas referred a request for comment to his attorney, Ronald Johnson. The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with Johnson.

According to his biography on the Working Families Party website, Thomas was born and raised in Hartford and has been active in city organizations.