Ex-Massachusetts senator facing 28 federal charges in connection with COVID fraud investigation

BOSTON — A former Massachusetts state senator was arrested Friday on 28 federal charges for allegedly scheming to defraud the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and collecting income that he failed to report to the IRS, prosecutors said.

Dean Tran, 48, of Fitchburg, is slated to appear in federal court in Boston at 1:30 p.m. to face charges including 25 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns, according to Acting United States Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy.

Tran served as an elected member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing Worcester and Middlesex counties from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment benefits after he had already accepted employment as a paid consultant for a New Hampshire-based automotive parts company, according to an indictment.

While working as a paid consultant, it’s alleged that Tran fraudulently collected $30,120 in pandemic unemployment benefits and that he concealed over $50,000 in consulting income that he received from the automotive parts company on his 2021 federal income tax return.

Prosecutors said that money was in addition to thousands of dollars in rental income that Tran allegedly concealed from the IRS while collecting rent from tenants of a Fitchburg rental property from 2020 to 2022.

“The indictment returned by the grand jury alleges that Former State Senator Tran exploited pandemic unemployment benefits – diverting critical resources intended for deserving individuals genuinely in need,” Levy said in a statement. “Our office and our law enforcement partners are committed to safeguarding the integrity of public assistance programs and holding accountable those who exploit them – no matter who they are – particularly during times of widespread hardship.”

The charge of wire fraud 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 filing false tax returns provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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