A former Richmond man pleaded guilty Friday to one count of bank fraud for taking $80,000 from his late friend’s bank account in spring 2008.

According to a federal indictment, Howard Hoffman, 53, now of Moorpark, California, was president of Malamute Investment Management in Maine when he accessed a Wachovia Bank account containing about $80,000 under the name of a person who died in March 2007 and changed the account address to Hoffman’s in Richmond.

“Hoffman caused two checks, totaling about $80,000, to be issued from his friend’s account,” said a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The friend had died in Costa Rica in March 2007, according to court documents, and the account was with Wachovia Bank in New Jersey.

Hoffman entered the guilty plea before Chief Judge Nancy Torresen in U.S. District Court in Portland. A sentencing hearing is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 8, 2016, in Portland.

The offense carries a maximum 30-year imprisonment, a $1 million fine, and five years of supervised release.

Hoffman had been indicted on bank fraud charges in April 2015.

Court documents from December 2015 also show Hoffman’s attorney, David Van Dyke, arguing in a trial brief that the friend had never revoked authority he had given to Hoffman to access the account and use the money in it.

They also show that the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff, sought to have Hoffman’s bail revoked, saying he failed to appear for trial on Feb. 29, 2016.

Hoffman was later ordered placed in the Location Monitoring Program and then placed on home detention. However, that too was revoked in early April.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, according to court documents.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

 

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