A Thurston County man who told a confidential source he was the most "well known drug dealer in the county" will spend the next 11 years in federal prison after returning to trafficking methamphetamine within months of completing a prior sentence.
U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright sentenced David Nathaniel Hoffman, 40, to 132 months on Wednesday, Aug. 19, in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
The sentence covers 10 years for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a firearm, plus an additional 12 months for eight violations of supervised release from a prior drug trafficking conviction.
Hoffman, also known as "Fat Nate," was investigated by Olympia and Lacey police, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations, according to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement.
Back on the street, back to dealing
Hoffman was released from a 64-month federal sentence for drug trafficking in August 2024.
Within two months, he returned to drug use and trafficking and absconded from supervision for four months, according to The Olympian.
A judge revoked his supervision and sentenced him to two months in custody.
He began a second term of supervised release on May 1, 2025. He kept selling.
Law enforcement confirmed three methamphetamine sales by Hoffman in March and July 2025. During a controlled drug purchase in a motel parking lot on July 15, 2025,
When officers arrested Hoffman on Aug. 8, 2025, they found him with cocaine and a firearm with its serial number removed. He is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2019 federal conviction for drug trafficking and assaulting a fellow federal inmate, which caused a disfiguring injury.
Bomb, prison assault in prior case
Hoffman's criminal history extends beyond drug sales. Before his 2019 arrest, he directed an associate to place a bomb on the hood of a car belonging to the mother of a suspected law enforcement source. The bomb detonated and damaged the vehicle. He also admitted to conspiring to distribute Suboxone inside the federal prison where he served his previous sentence.
Sentencing
A grand jury indicted Hoffman on Sept. 4, 2025, on four counts. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026, to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and admitted to eight supervised release violations.
At sentencing, Cartwright said Hoffman demonstrated a "long-standing pattern of drug distribution and criminal conduct, including while on federal supervised release, which shows disregard for the law."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crisham had asked for 144 months, writing in her sentencing memorandum that Hoffman has been "a pernicious presence in Thurston and Mason Counties" who distributes large amounts of dangerous drugs whenever he is not in custody. Defense attorney Stephen Ritchie asked for 112 months, acknowledging the severity of Hoffman's record but arguing the sentence should address what he described as a cycle of childhood abuse, addiction, incarceration and relapse. Cartwright landed at 132 months.
Hoffman will serve four years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
