Butte Pastor Admits Stealing from Church

MISSOULA – A shocking case of betrayal has rocked the small town of Butte, Montana, as a local pastor has admitted to embezzling a staggering $288,757 from his own church.

Kenneth Emmett Hogue, 66, of Butte, pleaded guilty to wire fraud as charged in an information during an initial appearance in U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. Desoto’s court.

U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme disclosed the details of the case, stating that Hogue began serving as pastor of the United Pentecostal Church in Butte in 1982. He was later elected secretary/treasurer of the Rocky Mountain District of the UPC in April 2012, giving him access to the church’s finances.

From June 2012 to July 2016, Hogue carried out a brazen scheme to embezzle funds from the church. He used a debit card belonging to the District to withdraw cash from ATMs, issued an unauthorized check to himself from a District bank account, and even opened a new bank account in the name of the District without permission, transferring money into that account before removing it using ATM transactions.

Hogue’s scheme was eventually discovered, and he admitted the fraud to church personnel and during an FBI interview in March 2018.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI. Hogue faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. His sentencing is set for December 12, 2019, before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.

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