On Friday, December 19, a former senator from Massachusetts entered a guilty plea in federal court for charges of obstruction of justice and providing false statements.
Dean Tran, aged 50 and from Fitchburg, admitted to one count of obstruction and one count of making a false statement.
Earlier this year, in June 2024, Tran was indicted with his sister, Tuyet T. Martin. By September 2024, he had been found guilty of fraudulently obtaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and evading taxes. He is currently serving an 18-month prison term for those convictions.
Court documents indicate that Tran provided misleading details during interviews with federal agents regarding a letter submitted to unemployment officials after his benefits were halted.
During these interviews, Tran inaccurately stated that his sister was the only author of the letter and that her signature was on it, even though he had signed it himself.
Obstruction of justice can lead to a prison sentence of up to 20 years, along with three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The false statements charge carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
The court has not yet set a date for sentencing in this case.
