Ex-Tishman Manager Pleads Guilty To Embezzling $2.8 Million
An accounting manager who embezzled from two major New York City contractors to finance a lavish lifestyle has pleaded guilty in his latest scheme, which involved Tishman Construction Corp. John Hoeffner, a Tishman project accountant since 2004, pleaded guilty on Aug. 4 to grand larceny charges for allegedly forging invoices and altering vendor checks over a two-year period on a university medical school project, says Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morganthau.
Hoeffner will serve at least seven years in prison and repay Tishman $1.4 million as part of the plea agreement. He was terminated in June, says a Tishman spokesman. "Tishman launched an independent investigation as soon as our managers detected suspicious activity," he says. "Once those suspicions were confirmed, we immediately alerted the District Attorney's office and cooperated fully in its investigation."