Piepenbrink Pleads Guilty To Seven Felonies, Sentencing Set For July

Fifty-two-year-old former  pastor Leon Piepenbrink pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft by swindle in a Dakota County court Friday morning.

A jury trial for Piepenbrink was initially scheduled to begin May 7 but Friday's plea changes the circumstances of the case. Now, sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on July 17.  

Piepenbrink's plea came just eight days after Judge Edward Lynch that a conversation in which he allegedly told Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) colleagues he  was indeed an admission of guilt.

Police say the former pastor used church funds for personal items including bulletproof glass, a gun and a home security system to protect himself from a violent Hmong gang. 

Piepenbrink's attorney, Kenneth Ubong Udoibok, has long held that the alleged conversation took place in a confessional format and was thus, inadmissible in court. 

Udoibok told Patch in an : "We take the position that Minn. Statute 595.02 applies and also all the privileges therein ... but [Wednesday] the court ruled that the confession does not apply. It is troubling, to say the least." 

According to a Pioneer Press article, authorities are now alleging Piepenbrink's misappropriation hovered closer to $300,000.

Each of the offenses against Piepenbrink carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. 

While Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom initially sought 23 months in prison for Piepenbrink, it is unclear if he will ask the judge for a harsher penalty prior to sentencing.