Inver Grove Heights Pastor Accused of Stealing $67,500 From Synod
Leon Piepenbrink, 51, faces seven felony charges of theft by swindle.
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Afraid for his life, Leon Piepenbrink allegedly told his superiors that he needed bulletproof glass and a gun to defend himself from violent members of the Hmong community.
But police say his claims weren’t true, and that Piepenbrink himself — an Inver Grove Heights pastor working with the Hmong community — was spinning an elaborate tale to conceal the theft of $67,500 from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod (WELS).
Piepenbrink, 51, was charged with seven counts of theft by swindle in an amended criminal complaint filed on Thursday by the Dakota County Attorney’s office. If convicted on a single theft by swindle charge, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
According to the complaint, WELS officials grew suspicious of Piepenbrink and contacted Inver Grove Heights police after the pastor requested reimbursement for security systems, bulletproof glass and a gun — all for self-defense.
Piepenbrink allegedly told his superiors that members of the Hmong community had threatened him, and that he had been driving near Hastings in 2010 when the occupants of another vehicle shot at him.
But WELS officials couldn’t find the police reports that Piepenbrink claimed he filed. The synod also checked with the businesses from which Piepenbrink claimed to have purchased personal protection equipment, and found that many of his claimed expenditures were fabricated, the complaint said.
Officials confronted Piepenbrink about his claims, at which point the pastor allegedly admitted he had falsified documents and stolen money from the synod.
Because of his position, police say Piepenbrink had access to two separate synod funds. The thefts took place over a three-year span, beginning in May 2007 and ending in June 2010, police said.
The Star Tribune reports that Piepenbrink’s position at the church was terminated in Aug. 2010. According to his Facebook page, Piepenbrink graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1986.
Piepenbrink has not yet been booked into Dakota County Jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 23.
But police say his claims weren’t true, and that Piepenbrink himself — an Inver Grove Heights pastor working with the Hmong community — was spinning an elaborate tale to conceal the theft of $67,500 from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod (WELS).
Piepenbrink, 51, was charged with seven counts of theft by swindle in an amended criminal complaint filed on Thursday by the Dakota County Attorney’s office. If convicted on a single theft by swindle charge, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
According to the complaint, WELS officials grew suspicious of Piepenbrink and contacted Inver Grove Heights police after the pastor requested reimbursement for security systems, bulletproof glass and a gun — all for self-defense.
Piepenbrink allegedly told his superiors that members of the Hmong community had threatened him, and that he had been driving near Hastings in 2010 when the occupants of another vehicle shot at him.
But WELS officials couldn’t find the police reports that Piepenbrink claimed he filed. The synod also checked with the businesses from which Piepenbrink claimed to have purchased personal protection equipment, and found that many of his claimed expenditures were fabricated, the complaint said.
Officials confronted Piepenbrink about his claims, at which point the pastor allegedly admitted he had falsified documents and stolen money from the synod.
Because of his position, police say Piepenbrink had access to two separate synod funds. The thefts took place over a three-year span, beginning in May 2007 and ending in June 2010, police said.
The Star Tribune reports that Piepenbrink’s position at the church was terminated in Aug. 2010. According to his Facebook page, Piepenbrink graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1986.
Piepenbrink has not yet been booked into Dakota County Jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 23.
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First WELS Hmong pastors ordained
Jesus came into the world to be the “light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). Our mission work is based on that truth. There are moments in mission work when we see a spectacular showing of a powerful and loving God fulfilling this promise.
Oct. 16, 1999, was one of those moments. Pheng Moua and Jay Lo were ordained as the first two WELS Hmong pastors at Emanuel, West St. Paul, Minn. Over 300 people worshiped the Lord on this historic
occasion, including over 100 Hmong—members at Emanuel and Divinity, St. Paul, Minn.; First German, Manitowoc, Wis.; and relatives and friends.
Pheng, reflecting upon the ordination, commented, “Being a pastor is not the most impressive thing to people in the world, but it gives me a sense of privilege to proclaim the gospel to people and to rescue them from Satan’s hands. It makes me happy to be called as a pastor in the Wisconsin Synod.”
This service came only after years of hard work, prayer, and some tears. WELS mission work to the Hmong began 15 years ago when then Vicar Loren Steele reached out to a Hmong community in Manitowoc, Wis. Steele continued this work when he was assigned as pastor at Emanuel in 1986-87. Slowly but surely the light of the gospel reached the hearts of the Hmong. Then Ger Yang, a Hmong believer, expressed his desire to become a pastor and began studying in 1992. Three years later he died on a mission trip to Thailand.
Pheng and Jay, good friends of Ger, began studying for the ministry so they could continue that work. Along the way they experienced obstacles common to other ministerial students—struggling to learn biblical Greek and Hebrew, striving to overcome financial challenges. There were also additional trials—keeping up with English comprehension, dealing with ostracism and scorn by relatives, and even threats to their lives. But the light of the gospel burned brightly in their hearts and minds, too brightly to be extinguished by obstacles or enemies.
Both men have been called to minister to the Hmong community in St. Paul. Pheng is serving the Hmong congregation of 70 souls that meets at Emanuel. Jay is starting a new Hmong mission congregation at Divinity. Both also serve as resource people for Hmong mission efforts by other congregations.
Jay’s wife, Panyia, shared an important reminder after the ordination: “Remember that a fisherman catches living fish, and they die; an evangelist catches those who are dead in spirit and shows them how to have life.”
Leon Piepenbrink
GJ - These would be the violent, threatening Hmong?
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Inver Grove Heights Pastor Charged with 7 Counts of Theft
An Inver Grove Heights pastor who worked with the Hmong community and claimed members were out to attack him has been charged with seven counts of theft, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in Dakota County.According to the criminal complaint, Leon Piepenbrink allegedly stole $62,500 from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod (WELS), the group he was employed by as a pastor.
Click here to read the full criminal complaint posted on the Dakota County website.
