PALATKA, Fla. — A former employee of the Palatka Housing Authority, an independent government organization that helps build and create affordable housing options for those in need, is being charged with funneling more than $150,000 of federal funds provided to the organization into his company.
A federal indictment filed this week identified Thomas Hoffman as the employee accused of stealing federal funds given to the Palatka Housing Authority. Speaking only to Action News Jax, the CEO of the organization said he noticed a trail of stolen funds going back as far as 2023.
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“It was devastating. It was very surprising to everyone in the organization because this employee had been in the organization for more than ten years,” said Oche Bridgeford, CEO of the Palatka Housing Authority.
Bridgeford said the money stolen from the organization was taken over time, in small amounts, and given to a company the Palatka Housing Authority had never done business with. He said he later realized, as the federal indictment points out, that the company getting the funds belongs to Hoffman.
“That’s no small amount of money,” Bridgeford said, “That could have been more than a year’s worth of assistance to several families.”
Action News Jax went to Hoffman’s house after finding his address through county property records, but we were turned away shortly after arriving. Court documents say Hoffman has been charged with federal program theft and will have to pay back all of the money he’s accused of stealing if he’s found guilty.
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Bridgeford said the loss of the money has hurt the organization, but hasn’t taken away from its mission.
“It hasn’t stopped our resolve in serving our residents, and it actually has increased our tenacity in leading in and making sure that our residents feel seen and valued,” said Bridgeford.
Federal court records show Hoffman filed a “waiver of indictment” after the charges were filed against him. The U.S. Department of Justice says waivers of indictment allow defendants, like Hoffman, to give up their right to be indicted by a grand jury. Right now, no court dates are scheduled for Hoffman’s case.
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