BOSTON (WWLP)– A Federal court jury has convicted a former Massachusetts State Senator on 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns.
Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean A. Tran, aged 48 of Fitchburg, had been an elected member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing Worcester and Middlesex Counties from 2017 to January 2021.
Former MA Senator’s Chief of Staff sentenced for tax fraud According to investigators, after Tran’s term had ended in 2021 he falsely claimed $30,120 in pandemic unemployment benefits while being employed as a paid consultant for a New Hampshire-based retailer of automotive parts, the Automotive Parts Company.
He was charged with concealing income from the IRS earned from the job as well as income from collecting rent from tenants who rented his Fitchburg property from 2020 to 2022.
“Dean Tran defrauded the government out of unemployment benefits he had no right to receive. His fraud and calculated deception diverted money away from those who were struggling to get by during a very difficult time,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office and our law enforcement partners are committed to holding accountable public officials who lie and steal for personal gain.”
“Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran stole taxpayer funds intended for those Americans who lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The jury’s verdict affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to investigate allegations of fraud involving the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) unemployment insurance (UI) program. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the UI system from those who exploit this critical benefit program,” stated Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region.
“The conviction of Dean Tran demonstrates the IRS’s commitment to the prosecution of all who choose to break the law, even elected officials,” said Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Elected officials are held to a higher standard when they take an oath to serve but to Tran, his oath meant nothing when he chose to steal from the American taxpayers on two separate occasions. Tran stole from a pandemic unemployment program designed to help those most in need. Tran proceeded to harm the American public further when he decided to not to report his taxable income, the most basic of principles all Americans are expected to follow.”
“Former State Senator Dean Tran was convicted of cheating taxpayers by cashing in on a public health crisis by diverting tens of thousands of dollars meant to support those out of work due to the pandemic to himself instead,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI simply won’t stand for opportunists thinking they can defraud the federal government, lie on their taxes, and get away with it. We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone foolish enough to do so.”
Tran is scheduled for sentencing on December 4, 2024, where he could face up to 20 years in prison and have to pay several hundred thousand dollars in fines.
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