Man accused of stealing thousands from Connecticut church being rebuilt after fire

THOMPSON, Conn. (WFSB) - A man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a church in Thompson.

An arrest warrant for 65-year-old Bruce Gordon Hall said that he cashed eight checks totaling more than $33,000 from accounts that belonged to the Thompson Congregational Church.

State police said Hall turned himself in on Wednesday.

According to the warrant, Hall is accused of withdrawing $33,732.92 from church financial accounts between April and Sept. 2025.

Investigators said he supposedly deposited the money into accounts that belong to his company, Eureka Inventing, LLC.

The documents claimed that he served in several leadership roles within the church, including treasurer and chair of the church’s rebuild committee.

The church experienced a devastating fire in 2016. Channel 3 interviewed Hall when the congregation raised money as part of its rebuild efforts in 2024.

The warrant alleged the transfers and payments depleted funds that otherwise could have been used to pay an architect working on the church rebuilding project.

Hall denied accusations during an April 2026 phone interview with investigators, according to the warrant. He said he had raised grant funding for the church. He declined further comment without an attorney, the affidavit stated.

Hall was released on a $150,000 court-set bond and given a court date of Aug. 12 in Danielson.