Wenatchee Pastor Returns To Courtroom Over Welfare Fraud Case

Pastor Robert “Roby” Roberson, a prominent figure in the Wenatchee child-sex rings investigation, has been ordered back to court for a hearing to determine whether he violated the terms of his sentence in a welfare fraud case.

Roberson, of East Wenatchee, pleaded guilty March 5 to first-degree theft and false swearing, a gross misdemeanor. He was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and to pay $20,000 in restitution, a $1,000 fine and $644 in court costs.

The state Department of Corrections recently filed court documents alleging Roberson failed to fulfill any of his sentence. A hearing on the matter was scheduled for Sept. 27 in Benton County Superior Court.

Last month, the agency rejected Roberson’s attempt to get credit for doing publicity work for Concerned Citizens for Legal Accountability, a group that supported him in fighting child sex-abuse charges.

Roberson did not immediately return a telephone message Wednesday. Earlier, he said he was told at sentencing that he could choose where he did his community service as long as it was at a non-profit organization.