Poker Writer
A man from Depew, N.Y., has been sentenced for taking nearly $450,000 from a volunteer fire company to fund his gambling habit. The Erie County Court judge handed James Hoffman a prison term of two to six years.
From 2019 to 2025, Hoffman stole as much as $446,000 from the Sheridan Park Volunteer Fire Company. His position as treasurer provided him access to these funds, which he funneled into a personal gambling budget. The fire company discovered the theft when a check from an unpaid vendor invoice was rejected due to insufficient funds.
The 42-year-old was apparently siphoning off fundraising funds as well. He also failed to file personal income taxes for the years 2021-2024.
Authorities gave no details as to what type of gambling Hoffman engaged in with the stolen money. However, the town of Depew, east of Buffalo, is near the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. The casino offers a sportsbook, live table games, and more than 1,000 slot machines.
The Erie County District Attorney released a statement about Hoffman:
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.
The story picked up traction on Facebook with more than 700 reactions. Several people commented in dismay that anyone could steal volunteer fire funds. One comment proposed an idea to avoid future situations like this happening again:
I’ve always thought non-profit organizations such as volunteer fire departments should have a private accounting firm do their books ..Doing internally only leads to this … It would only make sense to outsource accounting.
Another example of someone embezzling funds for personal gambling purposes occurred last week in Connecticut, this one involving a funeral home. When it comes to addictive behavior, no entity is spared as a possible target.
