Matthew F. Hale
| Matthew F. Hale | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Creativity |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 27, 1971 |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Pontifex Maximus |
| Period in office | 1996-2005 |
| Successor | James Logsdon |
| Matthew F. Hale | |
|---|---|
| Education | Bradley University (B.A.); Southern Illinois University Carbondale (J.D.) |
| Years active | 1983–2005 |
| Known for | White supremacy, federal soliciting to murder conviction |
| Home town | East Peoria, Illinois, United States |
| Parent(s) | Russell Hale and Evelyn Hutcheson |
| Matthew F. Hale | |
|---|---|
| Criminal penalty | 40-year prison term |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at FCI Terre Haute prisoner number 15177-424 |
| Conviction(s) | Soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill Judge Joan Lefkow |
Matthew F. "Matt" Hale (born July 27 1971) is a white supremacist leader and convicted felon. 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 declared himself its Pontifex Maximus (Latin for "highest priest") in continuation of the Church of the Creator organization founded by Ben Klassen in 1973.
In 1998, Hale was barred from practicing law in Illinois by the state panel that evaluates 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.
In 2005, Hale was sentenced to a 40-year federal prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill federal judge Joan Lefkow. His projected release date is in 2037.
Hale was born in 1971 and raised in East Peoria, Illinois, a city on the Illinois River. By the age of 12, he was reading books about National Socialism, such as Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, and had formed a group at his school.
In August 1989, Hale entered Bradley University, studying political science. At the age of 19, Hale burned an Israeli flag at a demonstration and was found guilty of violating an East Peoria ordinance against open burning. The next year, he passed out racist pamphlets to patrons at a shopping mall and was fined for littering. In May 1991, Hale and his brother allegedly threatened three African-Americans with a gun. Hale was arrested for mob action, and because he refused to tell police where his brother was, he was also charged with felony obstruction of justice. Hale was convicted of obstruction, but won a reversal on appeal. In 1992, Hale attacked a security guard at a mall and was charged with criminal trespass, resisting arrest, aggravated battery and carrying a concealed weapon. For this attack, Hale was sentenced to 30 months of probation and six months of house arrest.
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