A federal court in Wisconsin has handed down a 20-month prison sentence to a former state resident who illegally channeled hundreds of thousands of dollars into U.S. political campaigns after giving up his American citizenship.
Roger Hoffman, 70, received his sentence Wednesday from U.S. District Judge James Peterson, who also imposed a $150,000 fine. Hoffman’s defense lawyer, Mark Maciolek, has not responded to requests for comment.
The self-employed investor, who originally lived in Madison, obtained citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis in January 2009, according to a 2021 grand jury indictment. Six months later, in July 2009, he formally gave up his U.S. citizenship.
Despite losing his American citizenship status, Hoffman continued directing more than $400,000 toward both state and federal elections across the United States for over ten years. He accomplished this by working through an assistant, referred to in court filings only as M.W., to get around federal laws that bar foreign citizens from participating in American electoral processes.
In September, Hoffman entered a guilty plea to one charge of making prohibited campaign donations as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors. Under the plea deal, he acknowledged that prosecutors could demonstrate he illegally contributed approximately $345,000 to federal campaigns from 2010 through 2020.
Legal filings indicate Hoffman’s donations went to both federal candidates and Wisconsin state politicians and political organizations, with the majority of funds going to federal recipients. However, the documents do not identify which specific candidates or parties received the money.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Madison has not yet responded to inquiries about the donation recipients.
According to a Friday press release from the prosecutor’s office, Judge Peterson criticized Hoffman during the sentencing proceeding for showing “a resolute pattern of dishonesty.”
