Joshua S. Levy, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean A. Tran has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and failing to report income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV handed down the sentence in Boston, also ordering Tran to two years of supervised release, restitution payments totaling $48,427, a $7,500 fine, and a $2,300 mandatory assessment.
Tran was convicted in September 2024 on 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns. The federal grand jury indicted him in November 2023. Tran served as a state senator from 2017 until January 2021 for Worcester and Middlesex Counties.
After his senate term ended, Tran illegally received $30,120 in pandemic unemployment benefits while employed as a consultant for an automotive parts retailer based in New Hampshire. He also failed to disclose $54,700 from consulting work on his federal income tax return and concealed rental income from tenants at his Fitchburg property.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley commented on the case: "When Dean Tran took his oath of office as a Massachusetts State Senator... His fraud and calculated deception erode the public’s trust in elected officials."
Jonathan Mellone from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General stated that Tran's actions "affirm the Office of Inspector General’s commitment" to address unemployment insurance fraud.
Thomas Demeo from the IRS Criminal Investigation noted that "elected officials are held to a higher standard" but Tran "chose to steal from American taxpayers."
Jodi Cohen from the FBI emphasized that "the FBI and our partners will continue to crack down on frauds like this."
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Chao and John T. Mulcahy.
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force continues efforts against pandemic-related frauds with information available through https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
