Bob Wolffe Sentenced
To 30 Months
By Sandy Vondrasek

Randolph resident and former legislative candidate Robert Wolffe was last week sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, for his role in helping convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown of New Hampshire resist arrest by U.S. Marshals, over a nine-month period in 2007.

Wolffe was one of four men arrested last fall and charged with conspiracy and other charges in the case. In January, Wolffe pleaded guilty to the three felonies filed against him—two conspiracy charges and one for accessory after the fact.

At that time he stated that he had agreed to be a witness in the coming trial against the other three co-defendants, after authorities told him his wife, Valeri, might be arrested on a weapons charge.

Wolffe provided crucial testimony during the trial of his three co-conspirators, in federal court in Concord, N.H., in April, and all were found guilty.

Jason Gerhard and Daniel Riley, both of New York, were found guilty of the same three charges as Wolffe, plus an additional weapons charge. The fourth man, Cirino Gonzalez of Texas, was found guilty of a conspiracy and an accessory after the fact charge.

Last week, Gerhard was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced in September, and Riley’s sentencing has been postponed, pending a psychiatric evaluation.

Wolffe’s sentence also calls for him to be on "supervised release" for three years after he completes his prison term.

As a convicted felon, Wolffe will not be able to possess a firearm for the rest of his life.

Standard conditions of federal supervised release include monthly reports to a probation officer, no travel without prior permission, no use of alcohol or other substances, and numerous other conditions.

In addition, the court laid down an extra condition for those three years, requiring that Wolffe "submit his person, residence, office, or vehicle to a search conducted by a U.S. probation officer," if that officer has a "reasonable suspicion that contraband, or evidence of a violation or a condition of release may exist."