Although not part of the plea agreement, Mr. Tren also lied to his workers’ compensation insurer, Travelers
A Dorchester man has been sentenced in federal court for orchestrating a multi-year tax fraud scheme involving employment taxes owed by his temporary staffing agency.
Det Tran, 62, received a sentence of one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $2.5 million in restitution. Tran pleaded guilty in September 2024 to two counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes.
From 2018 through 2021, Tran owned and operated HTP Temp. Inc. (HTP), a staffing agency supplying temporary workers to client businesses. During this period, he paid $8 million in cash wages “off the books” to HTP employees, causing his accountant to file false quarterly payroll reports with the IRS. As a result, Tran evaded more than $2.1 million in employment taxes.
In addition to the above, Mr. Tram also gave false workers’ compensation information to Travelers. Although this charge was not part of the information or the plea agreement, it was mentioned in the U.S. Attorney’s sentencing memorandum.
The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS’s Criminal Investigations in Boston. The Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts provided assistance in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit.
