Main Line Man To Forfeit $17M In Loan, Tax Fraud Case Sentencing

GLADWYNE, PA — A Main Line man has been sentenced to prison and ordered to forfeit $17 million after being convicted of federal fraud charges.

United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Christopher Hogg, 63, of Gladwyne, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, and two years of supervised release, as well as ordered to forfeit more than $17 million and pay restitution of over $750,000 for his participation with two co-conspirators in a loan fraud scheme worth more than $21 million.

In September 2021, Hogg pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, filing a false return, and tax evasion.

The bank fraud charges arose from an insurance premium financing scheme that Hogg and others conducted from about November 2016 through January 2018.

As part of the scheme, Hogg and co-conspirator Rennie Rodriguez submitted roughly 35 financing applications to a finance company, purportedly for premium finance loans to purchase insurance, but in reality the loans were not for that purpose.

Another co-conspirator inside the finance company, Neal Dunoff, waived the loan verification procedures and approved the loans, in exchange for compensation from Hogg.

Rodriguez and Dunoff have pled guilty as a result of their participation in this scheme and are awaiting sentencing.

Hogg used the proceeds of this fraudulent scheme as capital for his businesses as well as to support his luxurious lifestyle, including payments for a Mercedes Benz S-Class, country club dues, vacations, as well as towards the purchase of a $1 million mansion on the Main Line.

The tax fraud charges arose from Hogg’s failure to report over $370,000 worth of income on the tax form 1040 that he filed for tax year 2016, and his failure to report over $1.7 million in income for tax year 2017 (for which he never filed a return), resulting in a total tax loss to the government of approximately $750,000 for both years.

"This defendant abused the banking system in an effort to enrich himself and his co-conspirators, all while cheating the bank and the United States government," said U.S. Attorney Williams. "He tried to play games to avoid fulfilling his fiduciary and tax obligations, but the dedicated investigators on this case uncovered his lies. Today’s sentence provides justice to those Mr. Hogg attempted to swindle."