Pub Owner Charged In Fraud Scheme

PHILADELPHIA - Michael Hoffner, Sr., 50, of Voorhees, New Jersey was charged today by superseding indictment with five additional counts of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.  Hoffner was first charged in June 2015 with 23 counts of wire fraud. 

Hoffner owned the Brown Street Pub in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  According to the superseding indictment, on 28 occasions between September and December 2012, Hoffner used a stolen credit number to make charges to Visa, American Express, or Mastercard cards.  The cardholders were not aware of and did not authorize these transactions.  The proceeds of these transactions went into accounts that Hoffner controlled. 

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud counts, a $7 million fine, and three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by United States Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Ignall.

An Indictment is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.