Attorney for Accused IGH Pastor Wants Alleged Admission of Guilt Suppressed

Attorneys for former pastor Leon Piepenbrink are hoping a Dakota County judge will grant an Apr. 9 motion to suppress what prosecutors are calling an admission of guilt in a case in which Piepenbrink faces seven felony counts of theft by swindle.  

The 51-year-old  from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod (WELS) between 2007 and 2010.

A motion filed Monday morning by defense attorney Kenneth Ubong Udoibok asked Judge Tim D. Wermager for two allowances: 1) to suppress any/all evidence taken as a result of confessions or admissions by the defendant; 2) to suppress any/all evidence, or derivative evidence, taken from Piepenbrink's former employer. 

According to the motion, "the defendant's statements and evidence were or obtained during the course of religious counseling," and thus, Udoibok argues, should be inadmissible in court. 

According to a Dakota County criminal complaint, Piepenbrink sought reimbursement for a home security system, bulletproof glass and a gun to protect himself from violent members of the Hmong community he served.

But the synod 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.

The legal issue at hand is the nature of the conversation Piepenbrink had with his former colleagues.

that the pastor admitted to using the funds without authorization, but strictly for church-related work. "When you go to confession you don't expect the government to be involved in that," Udoibok said. 

If Judge Wermager disagrees with Udoibok's motion, Piepenbrink could quite possibly see some jail time. 

While the offenses against him each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, the office of Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstom office confirmed it is seeking a maximum of 23 months behind bars. 

A settlement conference in the case is scheduled for Apr. 18 and, if necessary, a jury trial will begin May 7.