Matthew F. Hale

For other people named Matthew Hale, see Matthew Hale (disambiguation).

Matthew F. Hale
Born (1971-07-27) July 27, 1971 (age 53)
Criminal statusIncarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Marion[1]
Conviction(s)Soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill Judge Joan Lefkow
Criminal penalty40-year prison term
TitlePontifex Maximus
Personal
Born (1971-07-27) July 27, 1971 (age 53)
ReligionCreativity
NationalityAmerican
Senior posting
Period in office1996–2005
SuccessorJames Logsdon[2][3]
Other namesMatt Hale
EducationBradley University (B.A.); Southern Illinois University Carbondale (J.D.)[4]
Years active1983–2005
Known forWhite supremacy, federal soliciting to murder conviction

Matthew F. Hale (born July 27, 1971)[5] is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi leader and convicted felon.[6] Hale was the founder of the East Peoria, Illinois-based white separatist group then known as the World Church of the Creator (now called The Creativity Movement), and he declared himself its Pontifex Maximus (Latin for "highest priest") in continuation of the Church of the Creator organization founded by Ben Klassen in 1973.[7]

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In 1998, Hale was barred from practicing law in Illinois by the state panel responsible for evaluating the character and fitness of prospective lawyers. The panel stated that Hale's incitement of racial hatred, for the ultimate purpose of depriving selected groups of their legal rights, was blatantly immoral and rendered him unfit to be a lawyer.[8][9]

In 2005, Hale was sentenced to a 40-year federal prison term for encouraging an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant to kill federal judge Joan Lefkow.[7] As of July 2020, Hale was transferred out of ADX Florence and into United States Penitentiary, Marion in Illinois. His current projected release date is April 29, 2036.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference pjstar-back was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Creativity Movement contacts". creativitymovement.net. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  3. ^ Keller, Larry (Winter 2010). "Neo-Nazi Creativity Movement Is Back". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference adl-ext-hale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Matt Hale – The Creativity Movement". creativitymovement.net. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "Matt Hale's mother laments his racist rants". Peoria Journal-Star. January 14, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Wilgoren, Jodi (January 9, 2003). "White Supremacist Is Held in Ordering Judge's Death". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Complaint of Matthew F. Hale, Plaintiff, v. Committee on Character and Fitness for the State of Illinois". Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. California State University, San Bernardino. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Pam Belluck (February 10, 1999). "Racist Barred From Practicing Law; Free Speech Issues Raised". New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2015.