PALATKA, Fla. – An employee with the Palatka Housing Authority pleaded guilty to funneling over $150,000 intended for the organization into a separate company that he controlled, the Department of Justice said Friday.
Thomas Hoffman worked at PHA in information technology and accounts payable. PHA received federal funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The DOJ said the fraud began at least in July 2023 and continued through February 2025.
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He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, as well as forfeiture of $155,706 and restitution to the victim.
The DOJ said that bank surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed Hoffman cashing PHA checks issued to Data Max, the company he owned and used to embezzle the money.
“Thomas Hoffman took advantage of the position of trust he held to oversee federal funds intended to provide housing for our most vulnerable community members by stealing over $155,000 and converting it to his own personal use. By creating a fictitious vendor that he owned, he also took away the opportunity for other actual hard-working companies to compete for contracts and provide services to the Palatka Housing Authority,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Bozena Schrank with the U.S. HUD, Office of Inspector General (OIG) said. “HUD OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to diligently pursue and hold accountable individuals who take advantage of their positions of trust to defraud HUD programs and our low-income housing communities.”
Read the full indictment below
The Palatka Housing Authority describes itself as an organization committed to building “better families and communities” and providing housing through the Public Housing Program and the Housing Choice Vouchers program.
PHA’s full mission statement can be found below.
The Palatka Housing Authority, in partnership with the community, is committed to providing affordable and quality housing options to eligible clients. We seek to create equal opportunities through education and training for residents to reach self-sufficiency and economic independence. In order to achieve our mission, we will strive to:
Palatka Housing Authority Mission Statement
The agency adds that it has been ranked as a “high performer” by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for public housing and management of the entity’s Section 8 program since 2018.
In the indictment, it is mentioned that the PHA receives over $10,000 in federal benefits each year from HUD, and that Hoffman “embezzled, stole, obtained, by fraud” funds that were to be under the care of the PHA.