HUSTISFORD, Wis. — A longtime Village of Hustisford clerk and treasurer has been charged with felony theft and misconduct in office after allegedly stealing more than $45,000 in public funds.
Kim Marie Hopfinger, 65, faces charges of misconduct in office and theft in a business setting over $10,000, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Dodge County Circuit Court. The charges stem from alleged theft occurring from January 2018 through September 2025.
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The investigation began after village staff noticed missing funds from front desk payments, prompting an outside forensic audit. The audit, conducted by Baker Tilly from August 2018 through June 2025, identified $36,548.28 in suspicious credit card transactions.
The alleged unauthorized purchases included:
- $18,456.49 at Piggly Wiggly across 94 transactions
- $4,674.43 at Walmart Supercenters in 24 transactions
- $1,499.06 on Amazon in 37 separate transactions
- $1,174.10 for web hosting services
- $555.35 at Kalahari Resort
Village officials said the grocery store purchases were particularly concerning because the village would only need food items during elections, which occur five to six times per year.
The village's credit card balance grew from approximately $17,000 in 2018 to around $45,000 by 2025, according to the complaint. The village president told investigators that Hopfinger had been paying only interest on the card rather than reducing the principal balance for an extended period.
Hopfinger was one of only two people with access to the village credit card and was responsible for making all village payments, including those for the Hustisford Police Department.
Watch: Hustisford village worker accused of theft and misconduct; family speaks out
During a September 25 interview with a detective of the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, Hopfinger initially denied wrongdoing but eventually admitted to using the village credit card for personal expenses.
"I can say I used [the card] for not business purposes all of the time," Hopfinger told investigators, according to the complaint.
She admitted to purchasing children's toys and Roblox gift cards for her grandchildren and acknowledged that roughly $45,000 in credit card debt resulted from her personal purchases over the years.
Hopfinger also admitted to stealing cash from front desk transactions by giving customers receipts while destroying the village's copies and pocketing the money. She estimated taking approximately $1,000 per year in cash, with the scheme potentially dating back to 2010.
The forensic audit identified $1,179.56 in missing cash for 2025 alone.
"The check gets deposited, but that much cash gets taken out," Hopfinger explained to investigators about her method.
TMJ4 went to speak with Kim on Tuesday. Her son answered the door, offering this response.
"I hope people know how wonderful of a person she is and how wonderful of a mom she is, and that we’ll be behind her this whole time, and I hope people can understand it’s just a mistake that she feels incredibly bad about," said Michael.
The investigation revealed Hopfinger may have also stolen from the Hustisford Soccer Club. Hopfinger admitted to taking "around $1,000" from the soccer club, though she disputed the full amount. Her husband serves as president of the soccer club.
He also spoke with TMJ4 on Tuesday.
"Everything we needed to do for our club has always been paid for. The kids have never suffered, and they never will suffer, so I can't say, as far as these missing money in that I have no real answers on that. Yet, we're just totally devastated with this whole situation," said Otto.
His full response is included below.
Kim Hopfinger has worked for the village since at least 2003 and signed a credit card responsibility agreement in June 2003, acknowledging that only business expenses could be charged to the account. The agreement stated she would pay personally for any unauthorized purchases.
When asked about reimbursing the village, Hopfinger told investigators, "It's the right thing to do."
If convicted, Hopfinger faces up to 13.5 years in prison and $10,000 in fines for misconduct in office, plus up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines for the theft charge.
The village president provided this statement to TMJ4 News regarding the situation:
"The board of trustees of the village of Hustisford has been aware of an investigation being conducted by the sheriff's department and the sheriff's office of Dodge County into the alleged financial irregularities involving the village clerk/treasurer. The village has fully cooperated with the sheriff's office and in that regard to facilitate a complete investigation and resolution. The village clerk/treasurer was placed on leave on September 25, 2025 pending further action by the Dodge County District Attorney's Office and the court system. The village will continue to cooperate in an effort to bring this pending matter to a conclusion. To that end, the village will refrain and defer from further commentary to the Dodge County district attorney's office, as this matter is primarily under the control of that enforcement."
Read Otto's complete statement below:
"I just became aware of these charges today, so I was totally blown away by it, and I really don't have all the information to give a detailed response. All I know is that, for the past 36 years, I've been the president, and my wife has been a volunteer for 36 years in this organization. We've never once needed to worry about money, or where the money was coming from, or anything like that. I've never had any issues with wondering if there was some money missing—everything we needed to do for our club has always been paid for. The kids have never suffered, and they never will suffer.
So I can't say, as far as this missing money, that I have any real answers on that yet. We're just totally devastated by this whole situation. One thing I can say, which I hope people will realize, is that I've put in millions of hours of volunteer work, and my wife has put in thousands of hours of volunteer work. To have one charge against you, and the way that they portray this on Facebook and the way it's being portrayed—it's just bizarre. She has not been convicted of anything yet, and she's being thrown into the lion's den.
This is worse than any penalties you could ever have to pay monetarily, and it's not fair. After she's convicted, fine—then go ahead and say what you wish. But to all these naysayers—I just cannot stand it. We are honest, God-loving people who have done everything we could for this community for the last 36 years, and to have one little bad decision wreck everything is just preposterous. I want everybody out there to start thinking before they talk. It's just ridiculous. There’s no way that someone should have to suffer like this before they're even convicted of anything.
My wife is one of the most beautiful people ever—you can ask anybody. She made mistakes. They were bad mistakes, but they weren’t made out of hate and they weren’t made to hurt somebody. So let's all regroup here and get back to reality. Our club is an amazing club, and it still will be. We will not let the children suffer."
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