Press Release from U.S. Department of Justice; United States Attorney, District of Connecticut

On Nov. 26, Evan Bobzin, 39, of Chester was sentenced by United States District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft and tax offenses stemming from a $2 million embezzlement scheme. Bobzin’s sentencing was announced by Vanessa Roberts Avery, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, on Nov. 27.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from July 2013 until December 2023, Bobzin was an employee of Hoffman’s Gun Center (also known as Hoffman’s) in Newington and, in 2016, he became the head of information technology at Hoffman’s. In January 2016, Bobzin began to steal cash receipts from a safe in Hoffman’s front office. Bobzin would arrive at work before other employees, disconnect ethernet cables from the company’s computers servers to cameras which captured views of the safe, enter the front office, open the safe, steal thousands of dollars in cash from receipt pouches, return the pouches to the safe, and then reconnect the ethernet cables. He would then deposit cash proceeds into his personal bank accounts.

Between 2016 and 2023, Bobzin and his former spouse made 287 cash deposits of stolen money from Hoffman’s totaling $1,901,250 into his bank accounts, in addition to seven cash purchases of cashier’s checks totaling $161,330.

In October 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office notified Bobzin that he was conducting cash transactions in amounts below $10,000 in a manner indicative of structuring to avoid having his bank file currency transaction reports. Bobzin ceased making cash deposits at his bank, opened new accounts at a different bank, and resumed making structured cash deposits into those accounts.

Bobzin failed to report the stolen income on his federal personal income tax returns for the 2016 through 2022 tax years, resulting in a loss to the IRS of $436,178. For example, on his income tax return for the 2020 tax year, Bobzin reported taxable income of $9,914 and tax owed of $0. The return omitted income of approximately $432,615 and understated tax due and owing by approximately $110,530.

On Aug. 29, 2024, Bobzin pleaded guilty to interstate transmission of stolen money and tax evasion.

Judge Dooley ordered Bobzin to pay restitution of $2,062,580 and to cooperate with the IRS to pay $436,178 in taxes, as well as penalties and interest.

Bobzin, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on Monday, Jan. 6.

This investigation was conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Christopher W. Schmeisser, the assistant U.S. attorney.