Lofink Statement On Son Anthony J. Lofink ‘s Sentencing
Rep. Vincent A. Lofink, R-Caravel Farms, issued the following statement about his son Anthony J. Lofink ‘s sentencing today in federal court on embezzlement charges:
“As the father of four sons, one of whom is autistic, I know that each child presents their own unique joys and challenges.
“Tony has always been a study in extremes. He’s very smart, but he’s also shown a distressing lack of integrity, always ready to blame others for his bad behavior.
“I’ve repeatedly seen him put his desire for drugs ahead of everything in his life, hurting and lying to the people closest to him, despite our efforts to help.
“I’ll always love Tony, but I’m deeply troubled by his crimes and his willingness to deceive. If there is any good to come out of this, it’s that prison will give him a chance to reassess who he is.
“Tony can either deal with his drug problem and emerge with a new resolve to lead a productive life, or he can continue down the path he’s on and end up a lost and broken man. With all my heart, I want him to make the right choice.” – WNJ
That is some statement. If you are a parent, you’d have to be made out of stone for your heart not to go out to the guy.
Update: The article is online.
Wow. I used to work with Lofink’s above mentioned autistic son. This is the kind of frank statement that you don’t often get from a politician.
Very sad.
Ouch. This makes me like Lofink Sr. more, but have greater disgust for his son.
Best wishes to Rep. Lofink. Being a Dad is a never ending work.
Honesty and sincerity garner respect. Excuse and recrimination don’t.
Thank you Sen. LoFink for a little honesty and sincerity. You have my respect.
Been there done that got the T-shirt; I know very little about Sen LoFink, but based on this I can say he is a man in every sense of the word.
Sorry for his pain and sorry he has to bare it so publicly.
I hadn’t been following this story lately (apart from getting Earl Jacques’ nasty push poll call, which implied that Vince had gotten his son the job) Did we know before this statement that Tony Lofink was a druggie, or is this a bolt from the blue? How long has Vince known about this drug problem, and did he simply hope that his son would straighten up and fly right, rather than jeopardize his new job?
FTR, I voted for and fully support Vince Lofink (apart from his position on sports betting) and will continue to support him.
Wait Jason–I had to read your response a couple of times–“go out to the guy”–did you mean Vince or Tony? Am I having a Dora (Nemo) moment? Your readers’ responses seem to lean towards Vince….I ask because TNJ and the judge seem to give a bit of a pass to Tony…because of Vince’s “indifference” at his son’s greatest time of need….just a clarification please….Thanks..
As a parent reading that – I’m really feeling for Sr. Maybe I’m being played?
Earl Jacques is an honorable man. This is a smear based on what? Leave it to GRex to post a nasty comment, without any explanation. I hope Earl wins that seat. Mr Lofink Sr’s statement would melt any parents heart…however, we need better representation in Dover. Casinos, gambling is not the way to go.
I agree Liz.
BTW G, Vince got his son the job. Let’s all be grown-ups on that point.
Thank you Jason…No doubt that inconsolable anguish you feel as a parent when your child has again made a terrible choice–and you as a responsible adult/parent have to make them accountable to the action…..even though all around you stand people who will blame, point, excuse, and enable the perpetrator….a tough day for Mr. Lofink exponentiated by a judge who had to “lob” one at dear ol’ dad at a 30 year old’s trial!! Here’s to personal responsibility….and to you Jason for a non-partisan nod of empathy to any parent having to face this….all the more raw w/ the media scrutiny…..thanks for taking the high road….
No explanation, Liz? I live in his district, so I got the Earl Jacques phone poll. Among the questions were, “Would it change your opinion of Earl Jacques if you knew he had served in the Marines,” and “Would it change your opinion of Vince Lofink if you knew he used his influence to get his no good rotten son a job that he used to embezzle money from the state…” Okay, that’s paraphrasing, but you get the idea. Same old Democrat politics of personal destruction, not what I’d call honorable. And Jason, I’m sure Tony’s last name didn’t hurt him much at the interview, but there’s no actual evidence that Vince leaned on anybody on his behalf.
Back to my question; is this the first time we’ve heard that Tony Lofink was involved with drugs?
I haven’t read through the article yet but it is indisputable that this judge is plying partisan smears from the bench. What a load of crap to defend and even to take for granted as true what some low-life punk is whining to get out of trouble.
I heard that son Lofink was taken off his MBNA job for failing a drug test – positive for cocaine. Who then hired him for the state job…Sharp?
Cook?
OH I’M ready to VOMIT
this is how it’s reads donviti style people”
“I’m not denying I kicked the ever loving shit out of my son. That I got him a cush job OR that I looked the other way when there was no way in hell he could afford the things he had on his salary.
Even though my son has serious issues from me “disciplining” him with a belt. It isn’t my fault what happened to him as a grown adult.
I don’t care how bad you mentally screw up a kid by abusing him as a toddler, 5 year old or teenager. It is no excuse for him to rob the state blind
But I love him.”
fucking spare me.
This kid is the poster kid for all you people that think spanking and corporal punishment works.
oh, I almost forgot. What a dad, just leave your son dead on the road why don’t you.
disgracia!
I don’t know how to respond to what DHB said, other than to say that it has no place here. How does he claim to know what kind of father Vince Lofink is/was?
I think Vince Lofink’s response was both compassionate and human. I know Lofink, admittedly only a little bit, and I’ve found him to be both compassionate and human.
As far as where his kid went wrong, I’m reminded of a quote from former tennis ace Chris Evert who, as a brand new mother was asked by a reporter what the secret was to being a good parent. Her response? “Check back with me in eighteen years, and if he’s not in jail, I’ll let you know.”
Representative Lofink is an honorable man. DHB’s remarks should be removed from this post. It is totally out of line. Family situations happen. Unless you’ve lived with or are related to anyone with an addiction or have had an addiction yourself you can’t begin to comprehend the pain it causes. Maybe prison is Tony Lofink’s bottom and hopefully, for his own sake, he can begin to take responsibility for his actions/mistakes/life. Some people may think this is the end for him but it has every opportunity to be a beginning.
oh well I take it back then. No one could ever be a horrible father and a good employee! oh nooooo never.
god forbid….
so let’s assume that the son was beaten, kicked with his father’s wing tips etc. etc. has a drug problem and on and on
annnddd oh by the way a LITTLE BIT OF NEPOTISM gets him his job. All of a sudden mr. Compassionate, woops I mean, kicked my son with work shoes, stands up and says, “I love him, but enough is enough”
WELL LATAFREAKINGTA wooohooo, all is forgiven. Poor fella, your forgiven. Not your fault at all.
slates clean.
ahh delaware….you’re a great state
salu
i love how he gets a pass for abusing his son as a child too. Awesome.
I’m not sure how you go from “point A” Lofink’s son is a screw up – to “point Z” Lofink abused his son.
That’s my point. I’ve gone back through Google and read whatever I could find about the Lofink case.
I was unable to find any substantiation to the disgraceful charges lobbed out there by Donviti about Lofink kicking, abusing, and beating his son.
So, DHB, let me make it clear. Either put up proof, or apologize and STFU.
And one more thing. I think that being a Contributor and being able to create threads is a privilege. This kind of self-indulgence raises questions, at least with me, as to whether this Contributor has abused his position.
I read a News Journal article 7/02/08 where the judge lambasted Rep. Lofink for hitting his son, and kicking his son, and for using his son’s criminal case for his own personal agenda.
Now I can’t find it. If Donvetti could share aforementioned article, perhaps people would understand his point of view.
Here is another article, not as detailed…
http://www.examiner.com/a-1470055~Del__lawmaker_s_son_gets_prison_for_stealing_funds.html
Steve –
DHB is an ass with the intellect of a child. He is not worthy of this site. I am convinced that Jason invited him to fulfill some kind of a developmentally disabled contributor quota.
TNJ article included a comment about the judge admonishing Sen. Lofink for allegedly abusing his son as a child. Sounds like the same old excuse every low-life gives when they’re in court – it’s my parents’ fault.
As the parent of a child who has made countless mistakes and gotten into heaps of trouble in spite of the fact that she grew up in a good home with with honest parents, I completely sympathize with him. Regardless of how much your child screws up, you still do what you can to try to help – including getting him/her a job – because you’re always hoping that they’ve finally turned the corner. Sometimes, however, you just reach a breaking point. I read his statement earlier today and my heart broke for him.
Actually, I have now read the article, and I owe DHB an apology.
A federal District Court judge is not going to merely regurgitate defense claims in a statement. There clearly must’ve been more than the ‘abuse excuse’ at work here. The judge must’ve had what he considered to be solid facts, not allegations, in order to make the statement he did.
The article had not been posted in its entirety last night, and I criticized Donviti for posting something that incendiary w/o substantiation. We now have substantiation.
The article makes the issue legitimate and is something that Lofink will have to deal with if he wants to convince voters to reelect him.
THANK YOU, not a problem at all
Sleet said Lofink has struggled with drugs, alcohol and physical and emotional abuse by his father
PI,
for the record I have lived with someone that has an addiction. And my dad continued to help and never gave up
Rumors abound that Lofink, Jr. will attend a federal prison in Georgia that typically hosts the well-heeled and connected.
Country Club Prison Warden: “Welcome Mr. Lofink, please don’t feel so nervous. You’re here to pay your debt to society, then move on. Do you golf, Mr. Lofink?”
Lofink, Jr. “Yes Warden.”
Country Club Prison Warden “You’ll love Mondays. The prisoners golf all day on Mondays. Do you play tennis Mr. Lofink?”
Lofink, Jr. “Yes Warden.”
Country Club Prison Warden “You’ll love Tuesdays. The prisoners play tennis all day on Tuesdays. Are you a homosexual, Mr. Lofink?”
Lofink, Jr. “No, Warden.”
Country Club Prison Warden “You won’t like Wednesdays too much then.”
I’ll tell you what, I saw it with my own eyes growing up with Tony and his brothers myself… It is very much true about the things Sr. did… Tony would run to my house crying with bruises all over his body… I’m not defending Tony recent actions and I haven’t seen or heard from him in years, however I did see what I saw as a kid and so did everyone else who associated with Tony either in school, the neighborhood or in sports… I can’t believe that man has made it this far in politics… How has this never been brought up before? I used to puke in my mouth everytime I ever heard about or saw something positive about Vince Lofink… I am a military man now myself and he is no man to me at all… Open your eyes and smell the coffee people… It is right in front of you all to see, always has been, open your eyes before this happens again… There is no hope for you Delaware if this man is ever reelected… On the flip side, Tony get it together man, pay your dues and come back stronger in a positive way for society… That coming from a man and a friend and a soldier… Stop making excuses!
Believe It,
Thanks for the comment.
I feel like I got more out of this thread by not knowing about Tony’s testimony when I praised the father’s statement.
In the end it might all be true. Tony needs to stop making excuses and Sr. needs to search his own soul as well.