Hartford City Councilman pleads guilty to stealing from church, will he remain on council

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - A Hartford City Councilman pleaded guilty to larceny and money laundering Tuesday, after stealing from the church where he worked.

While his status in court may be settled, his status on the council is far from certain.

As part of his plea deal, Alex Thomas won’t be going to jail, but he will be on probation for 2 years. If he violates that probation, he would face 22 months in prison.

Thomas told the I-Team, he intends to keep his councilman seat.

Walking out of court, we asked Thomas if he had anything to South Church. He told us, “I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, always. And, you know, hopefully we can move on from this. They know I’m sorry and I apologize to the church and Pastor Adam and everybody over there. They know.”

That was Alex Thomas’ message as he walked out of Hartford court.

The city councilman pleaded guilty to larceny and money laundering. He’s accused of stealing more than $14,000 from South Church on Main Street. It’s been almost three years since he was charged.

“I’m happy that it’s over and I’m looking forward to moving on. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s been almost three years now, so it’s been quite some time,” says Thomas.

Church leaders found irregularities on a church credit card while Thomas worked as the church’s Director of Children and Family Minstries.

Police discovered he created shell companies to hide the money.

In a statement, South Church’s pastor Adam Soderberg said, “The church remain heartbroken over this whole situation, and we pray for Alex’s family. The consequences were up to the court, and we believe in the system.”

Thomas was originally charged with two felonies; Monday plea makes them misdemeanors. He was previously denied accelerated rehabilitation, a pre-trial diversion program for first time offenders that would have wiped away his charges.

Thomas represents the working families party on City Council. The party’s fellow councilors have asked Thomas from the beginning to step down from his position.

City Council President TJ Clarke told me in a statement, “while he is a member of the Hartford City Council, this is a personal matter, and Alex has to now decide whether his future will be to remain with the council.”

When we asked Thomas, he said, “I am planning to finish my term on city council, yes.”

His term ends January 1, 2028. We asked Mayor Arunan Arulampalam if Thomas should remain on council.

“The decisions that Alex Curtis Thomas makes are between him and the voters, and the voters will have a chance to weigh in on that next year. But it is up to council to make any moves there,” says the Mayor.

Thomas did step down as Minority Leader of the council back in 2025. He owes the church more than $15,000 in restitution.

His lawyer said Thomas has already written out the check, and the church will receive it this week.