Inver Grove Heights Pastor Charged With Swindling Church
Updated: Wednesday, 04 May 2011, 7:00 PM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 04 May 2011, 11:19 AM CDT
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. - A pastor at an Inver Grove Heights, Minn. church has been charged with fabricating expenses to the tune of more than $55,000.
Leon Edwill Piepenbrink, 51, of St. Paul, is charged with seven counts of theft-by-swindle for fabricating expenses and stealing money from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod.
The church grew suspicious of Piepenbrink last summer when he started to talk about his safety and that members of the Hmong community he was working with were threatening him. Piepenbrink claimed he had been shot while driving on highway 55 near Hastings on June 16, 2010.
Piepenbrink had access to two separate church funds, and started to request reimbursement for security-related expenses, including a gun, bullet proof glass and a security system.
The church looked into Piepenbrink’s claims and learned they were all fabricated. When confronted with the discrepancies and misappropriation of funds, Piepenbrink admitted to stealing from the church. Piepenbrink went through bank statements with a church financial officer and pointed out each fabricated expense.
From May 2007 through July 2010, Piepenbrink stole $57,250 from Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod.
Each theft-by-swindle charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Read more: Inver Grove Heights Pastor Charged With Swindling Church | Leon Piepenbrink http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/minnesota/inver-grove-heights-pastor-swindle-may-4-2011#ixzz1LaKlc1jJ
