HAMPTON ROADS News (Printable Version): "Hoffler-Riddick found guilty of money launderingThe Virginian-Pilot
� October 14, 2005
Last updated: 7:02 PM
Pamela Hoffler-Riddick
Background: Ex-Norfolk educator portrayed in trial as naive
NORFOLK — A jury late today found Pamela Hoffler-Riddick, the former Norfolk schools official, guilty of five counts of money laundering in a wide-ranging drug conspiracy.
Hoffler-Riddick, 44, stood stoical as the court clerk read the verdict. She faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced in January.
She and her attorney declined to comment following the verdict.
An indictment accused Hoffler-Riddick of funneling about $16,000 in drug proceeds through her credit union account in the fall of 2000. She claimed she had no idea that her then-boyfriend, John Cecil McBride, was using her to hide his drug gains.
Federal agents estimate that the ring distributed about $20 million in marijuana and cocaine, imported largely from Mexico and trucked or flown to Hampton Roads and other locations between 1996 and 2004. Hoffler-Riddick was not charged with any drug offenses.
Hoffler-Riddick had been a standout educator in Virginia Beach and in Norfolk. As principal of Ruffner Middle School from 1994 to 1997, she gained recognition by instituting uniforms as a way to improve student behavior. She went on to administrator positions in the Washington suburbs but lost a $138,000-a-year job after her arrest.
For the full story, see Saturday's Virginian-Pilot and PilotOnline.com."
