Tran, 48, of Fitchburg, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement. His sister, Tuyet T. Martin, 54, of Pelham, N.H., was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of perjury. Martin was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston this afternoon. Tran will appear at a later date.
In November 2023, Tran was arrested and charged in 28-count federal indictment for his alleged fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
“The charges against Dean Tran and his sister represent a serious breach of public trust,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Their alleged calculated effort to defraud the government and deceive federal investigators demonstrate a disturbing disregard for the law. Our office remains committed to uncovering and prosecuting fraud and corruption, as this case makes clear.”
“Anyone who obstructs a federal investigation is attempting to subvert the course of justice,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Today, former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran and his sister Tuyet Martin are accused of doing exactly that, in an effort conceal Mr. Tran’s alleged attempts to steal tens of thousands of dollars from public assistance programs at the expense of those in need. Make no mistake, the FBI and our partners will not hesitate to bring to justice anyone foolish enough to try to interfere with our cases.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) unemployment insurance program as well as allegations involving the obstruction of DOL investigations, including those conducted by the Office of Inspector General. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate these types of allegations,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“The indictment and arrest of Tuyet T. Martin demonstrates the IRS’s commitment to not only prosecuting those who break the law but also those who knowingly and willfully obstruct Federal investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge, Harry T. Chavis Jr., Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, Boston Field Office. “Martin lied to Special Agents in an effort to obstruct an ongoing Federal investigation. Martin attempted to protect her brother, former State Senator Dean Tran, from being arrested but now she must face justice for her actions.”
According to the indictment, as part of the investigation into Tran’s unemployment benefits and tax fraud schemes, an investigation began into a purported job offer from Martin to Tran at Alecon Enterprises, Inc., where Martin was an owner and the CEO. In June 2022, during the execution of a search warrant at Tran’s residence, it is alleged that Tran made false statements to agents about a job offer letter from Martin and whether Martin had actually written the letter and her signature on it. It is further alleged that Martin concealed and attempted to delete emails between her and Tran regarding the employment offer letter. Additionally, Martin allegedly provided false testimony before a federal grand jury in July 2023 regarding the employment offer letter.
The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of perjury provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Cohen, DOL-OIG SAC Mellone and IRS-CI SAC Chavis made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.