Former Orleans Parish Deputy, Gerard J. Hoffman, Jr., Sentenced In Bribery Case

GERARD J. HOFFMAN, JR., 59, a resident of Mandeville, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 5 years probation by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo for conspiracy to commit bribery, announced U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.  In addition to the term of probation, Judge Milazzo ordered HOFFMAN to pay a fine of $25,000 and a $100 special assessment.

According to court records, HOFFMAN, the former head of the maintenance department at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (“OPSO”), began receiving things of value from a contractor, identified as Businessman B in court filings, in exchange for a rigged bidding system employed to steer OPSO work to Businessman B.  In particular, from 2007 through 2011, Businessman B would submit bids for OPSO work in the name of his respective company but, with the knowledge and participation of, among others, HOFFMAN, would also submit phony or fake bids for these same projects in the names of other local companies, in an effort to give the appearance of a competitive bidding process.  In many cases, the phony bids would intentionally be higher than the bids from Businessman B and, consequently, the OPSO work would be awarded, with HOFFMAN’s participation and knowledge, to Businessman B.

In exchange for this rigged bidding process, according to court documents, HOFFMAN received several things of value from Businessman B.  For example, from 2007 through 2011, HOFFMAN received a trailer, a storage container, and free maintenance and construction work at a house owned by HOFFMAN, all at no cost to him.  In total, HOFFMAN received at least $5,000, but less than $10,000 in things of value from Businessman B in exchange for HOFFMAN’s official acts at the OPSO.        

The case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Matt Chester and Jon Maestri.