United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force: OAKVILLE WOMAN SENTENCED TO 33 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ROLE IN $2.5 MILLION EMBEZZLEMENT SCHEME

Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAIME HOFF, 30, of the Oakville section of Watertown, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to 33 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for her participation in an embezzlement scheme that defrauded her employer of more than $2.5 million.  On October 8, 2009, HOFF pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, HOFF and Steven DeCecco were involved in a scheme to embezzle from their former employer, Expand International of America.  As part of the scheme, HOFF and DeCecco, who were employed at the company’s location in Stratford, directed hundreds of unauthorized wire transfers from their employer’s bank accounts to their own accounts and to third parties for their benefit.  HOFF’s responsibilities at the company included performing accounts payable functions and bank reconciliations, and DeCecco, to whom HOFF reported, was the corporate controller in charge of all the company’s accounting functions.  The two defendants used these positions to disguise their scheme over a period of approximately two years.

Through this scheme, DeCecco and HOFF collectively embezzled approximately $2,516,288 from their employer.  HOFF personally received more than $390,000 before her employment was terminated in September 2008.

Today, Judge Hall ordered HOFF to pay restitution in the amount of $2,098,050.

HOFF was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service following today’s sentencing.

DeCecco, who used a large portion of the stolen money to fund his purchase of multiple high-end classic cars, car parts and related expenses, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.  On March 24, 2010, he was sentenced to 96 months of imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,556,288.

This matter was investigated by the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, notably the United States Secret Service, and the Stratford Police Department.  In addition to the United States Secret Service, the Task Force includes members from the United States Postal Inspection Service; the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; the Connecticut State Police; and the Greenwich, Hartford, Manchester, New Haven and Shelton Police Departments.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Murphy.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov