Hoffner was a smuggler in the employment of Jorj Car'das, where he worked with Talon Karrde.
In the year 6 BBY, while aboard one of Car'das's ships, Karrde and Hoffner escaped two Carrack-class light cruisers by executing a random hyperspace jump. By an amazing stroke of luck, this jump placed them directly among the famous Katana fleet. Initially, both Karrde and Hoffner thought the Dreadnaughts were just another Imperial patrol and quickly jumped again to get away. Subsequently, they both understood what they had witnessed and saved the navigation data for the fleet's location.
Sometime later, Hoffner salvaged and repaired six ships from the Katana fleet and then sold them to General Garm Bel Iblis, without telling him the location where he discovered them. In 9 ABY, Han Solo and Lando Calrissian attempted to find Hoffner at the Coral Vanda casino located on Pantolomin. However, Niles Ferrier had already captured Hoffner and handed him over to Grand Admiral Thrawn; Hoffner then gave Thrawn the coordinates to the Katana fleet. Karrde guessed that Hoffner had not been tortured, but instead was given a "large infusion of cash" because of how quickly he gave up the information.