Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Boston, announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 23-count indictment today charging HAI VAN NGUYEN, 41, of Lynnwood, Wash., on charges stemming from fraud scheme targeting members of the Vietnamese community in Connecticut and other states.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, NGUYEN advertised through Facebook a purported avenue for legal sponsorship for individuals to come to the United States from Vietnam. When contacted, NGUYEN guaranteed clients that he could obtain legal entry into the U.S. for their family members through his company, New Saigon Entertainment. NGUYEN guaranteed a green card upon arrival in the U.S. and U.S. citizenship within five years. Through fraudulent and false representations, NGUYEN convinced two Connecticut residents to assist him in recruiting clients for his purported company. The Connecticut residents collected deposits towards NGUYEN’s $35,000 fee pursuant to more than 50 contracts from clients in Connecticut, South Carolina, Maine and Arizona. Additional victims of NGUYEN’s fraudulent scheme have been identified in Ohio and Texas.
Through this alleged scheme, NGUYEN defrauded members of the Vietnamese community seeking legal entry for family members into the U.S. of more than $500,000.
NGUYEN has been detained since his arrest on May 5, 2016.
The indictment charges NGUYEN with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud and 20 counts of wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on count.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
