March 4, 2020- Commonwealth v. Keith Hoffa:  Dauphin County Judge Deborah Curcillo today sentenced serial child molester Keith Hoffa to 63 years to 126 years in a state prison.  On March 11, 2019, Judge Curcillo found Hoffa guilty of a multitude counts of sexual molestation of minors.  Hoffa’s sexual abuse of children stretches from 2016 all the way back to the mid-1990’s. 

Today, in a packed courtroom, four of his victims eloquently and emotionally described to Judge Curcillo the impact Keith Hoffa’s crimes had on not only their lives but also the lives of their families and friends.  Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah Phillips credited the strength of the victims and their victim impact statements for the length of Hoffa’s sentence.  At the core of their statements was their determination that his crimes will no longer define their lives.  One victim describe how, like the writer of a book, she has edited his chapter out of her life story.  

During the emotional three day trial in December, victim after victim, six victims in all, took the stand and told Judge Curcillo about the abuse they suffered at Hoffa’s hands.  Many of the victims painfully fought through their pain to find the strength to face Hoffa in the courtroom and describe the abuse he inflicted upon them.  Under direct examination by Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah Phillips, a breathless courtroom could feel the pain of one victim in particular, now in her twenties, as she struggled to describe how Hoffa forcibly raped her when she was 12 years old.  Her testimony came after the testimony earlier in the day when a 12 year old girl told the judge about Hoffa indecently touching her while she visited his home when she was 9 years old.        

Hoffa who was also convicted in 1998 of aggravated indecent assault of a minor, took the stand in his own defense during the December trial.  During cross examination by Chief Deputy District Attorney Seán M. McCormack, despite admitting to penetrating his 14 year old victim with his fingers and having her touch his privates in 1998, Hoffa refuse to admit that his actions were for sexual gratification.      

After today’s sentencing, McCormack reiterated what he said after the verdict, “He is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.  He appears to be this nice helpful guy, but in reality he is the worst kind of sexual predator.  He knows by societies’ rules he legally is sexually violating his victims but in his own mind he believes he is doing nothing wrong.  We are safer today because he will never walk our streets ever again.”

As a post script, this was the last trial prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Seán McCormack in Dauphin County.  McCormack retired from the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office this week after thirty years of service to the citizens of Dauphin County.  McCormack is 'retiring' in name only as he begins his new position as Chief of Trials in the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office.  We wish Seán well in his new position!