Matthew Hutcheson, an Idaho independent fiduciary who advises companies on retirement plans and has testified before Congress, pleaded not guilty to charges he took more than $2 million from a fund of which he was trustee, according to court records.

Hutcheson was indicted on 31 counts of wire fraud and theft, according to the documents in federal court in Boise, Idaho.

Testifying before Congress in October 2009, Hutcheson said managers of U.S. 401(k) plans should adhere to “the highest ideals of society.”

Hutcheson’s lawyer, Dennis Charney, didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking a comment on today’s plea.

The case is U.S. v. Hutcheson, 12-00093, U.S. District Court, District of Idaho (Boise).

To contact the reporter on this story: Karen Gullo in San Francisco at kgullo@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net