A New York man will serve between two to six years in prison on an indeterminate sentence after it was found he’d stolen nearly $450,000 from a volunteer fire company, which was then used to fuel his gambling habit.
The 42-year-old James Hoffman from Depew, New York, stole a grand total of $446,118.42 between January 1, 2019, and January 31, 2025. To steal the money, Hoffman made unauthorized withdrawals, as well as pocketed fundraiser cash.
James Hoffman, 42, #Depew, was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to felony charges for stealing $446k+ while serving as treasurer of the Sheridan Park Fire Company as well as repeated failure to file his personal income taxes. https://t.co/DXte7OWqsl
— Erie County District Attorney's Office (@DAErieCountyNY) October 6, 2025
In court, he pleaded guilty to the crime, set as Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, making it a Class C felony. He also pleaded guilty to tax avoidance, as he had repeatedly failed to properly file it. This has resulted in one of three conditions focused on the money stolen, where Hoffman will have to pay back $26,706 in restitution to New York’s tax office.
The other two cash-based conditions out of the case’s guilty plea also meant handing over $55,000 to the defense attorney. A Confession of Judgement was also signed, where Hoffman will need to pay back $391,118.42 of the money he stole back to the fire company.
New York volunteer fire company gets its payback after gambling-fueled theft
Working on the case was Mike Keane of the Erie County DA, who commended Detective Eric Schmidt of the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for working the case.
Speaking in the press release regarding the court’s results, Keane said:
“For many years, this defendant abused his position as treasurer to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from a fire company that helps and protects the residents of Tonawanda.
“He knowingly violated the trust placed in him by firefighters, dedicated volunteers, and the community. I hope that the Sheridan Park Fire Company will be made whole through his restitution payments and continued support from our community.”
Lately, there have been several cases of people getting sentenced for crimes tied to their gambling habits. Just last month, ReadWrite shared the story of a 48-year-old man from Olympia who was given 18 months in prison by a US District Court in Tacoma for wire fraud after he embezzled money to support his gambling addiction.
Featured image: Heather Gill, Tim Wildsmith
