Hodge sentenced to up to 10 years for theft from church association
“How hard is it to say ‘I’m sorry’?”
Fayette County Judge John Wagner asked the question as people walked out of the courtroom following Wednesday’s sentencing hearing for Antoinette Hodge.
Hodge, 55, a former Uniontown treasurer who had chaired the board of trustees for the Youghiogheny Western Baptist Association, was sentenced to 31 months to 10 years in prison in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday for stealing $112,484.49 from the organization during her time there. She must also pay that much in restitution.
“The judge is in the best position to determine an appropriate sentence,” said Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele. “It’s never going to be enough time. That organization’s going to suffer for decades after she’s released for supervision.”
Last week, a jury found Hodge guilty of 29 of 31 counts against her, including theft by unlawful taking and forgery.
The YWBA consists of 27 churches throughout western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including in Fayette and Greene counties. Hodge began working with the YWBA in 2018, continuing until 2022, when the board voted to remove her. In that span, she stole money from group accounts and forged tens of thousands of dollars in checks.
The churches pay membership dues to the organization, which also collects funds through church donations and fundraisers.
Albert Winfrey, moderator for the YWBA, addressed Hodge for the group during Thursday’s victim impact statement.
“Your actions caused us deep pain — religiously, emotionally and financially,” he said.
The group is still working to fundraise to get back to where they had been.
Hodge’s lack of remorse since her arrest had made things even more difficult, he said.
Still, he said, the group offered her its forgiveness — “not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.”
Wednesday’s sentence will be served concurrently with the one Hodge is already serving. In December, she was sentenced to 21 months to 10 years in prison for stealing $106,750 in tax payments while serving as Uniontown’s treasurer in 2020 and 2021. She was also ordered to pay more than $220,000 in restitution, an amount that includes reimbursing the city for a forensic audit.
In arguing for concurrent sentences — rather than consecutive, as Aubele pushed for — Hodge’s attorney, Ethan Carter, argued the two cases should be treated as “one continuous incident,” born not out of malice, but a gambling addiction.
“I believe she is a prime candidate for rehabilitation,” he said.
When it came time to make a statement, Hodge asked for “forgiveness and mercy,” though not from the congregation.
Wagner asked her if she had any apology for the church members. After conferring with her attorney, she said no.
Wagner had his own words for the church members at the end of the sentencing.
“She had an opportunity, and chose not to avail herself of that,” he said. “Keep her in your prayers. She’s 55, and she’s going to be in her 60s (when she gets released).”