A former state senator convicted of fraud who desires a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump desires his lawyer to get “post-trial contact with jurors” within the hopes of tossing the decision.
Dean Tran, a Massachusetts Republican who ran for Congress, earlier this yr was discovered responsible of pandemic help fraud and making false statements on federal tax returns. He was convicted by a federal jury of 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of submitting false tax returns.
Shortly after the decision, Tran renewed his movement for an acquittal. When that was denied, Tran’s lawyer final month tried for “post-trial contact with jurors.”
“Defendant has now filed a motion, unaccompanied by any supporting memorandum of law, seeking an order authorizing defense counsel to ‘solicit post-trial contact with the jurors,’ ” U.S. District Court docket Chief Choose F. Dennis Saylor IV wrote in his ruling denying the movement.
The courtroom has traditionally solely allowed attorneys to conduct post-verdict juror interviews when there are “extraordinary situations.”
These “extraordinary situations” applicable for post-verdict jury interviews are usually restricted to circumstances with sturdy proof {that a} jury improperly reached a verdict, Saylor famous.
“As there is no indication that the jury improperly reached a verdict, that there was any juror misconduct, or that this case is otherwise an ‘extraordinary situation’ appropriate for post-verdict interviews, the motion is DENIED,” the choose wrote in his ruling.
Tran served within the Massachusetts State Senate, representing Worcester and Middlesex Counties from 2017 to January 2021.
After Tran’s State Senate time period resulted in 2021, Tran fraudulently obtained pandemic unemployment advantages whereas he was additionally employed as a paid guide for a New Hampshire-based retailer of automotive components (the Automotive Elements Firm). Whereas working as a paid guide, Tran fraudulently collected $30,120 in pandemic unemployment advantages.
Additionally, Tran hid $54,700 in consulting revenue that he obtained from the Automotive Elements Firm from his 2021 federal revenue tax return. This was along with 1000’s of {dollars} in revenue that Tran hid from the IRS whereas accumulating lease from tenants who rented his Fitchburg property from 2020 to 2022.
Earlier this week when President Biden pardoned his son Hunter, Tran known as for Trump to present him an “unconditional pardon.”
“A full investigation into Senator Tran’s cases and an unconditional pardon is warranted,” Tran posted.
Tran in 2017 turned the primary Vietnamese-American elected to the Massachusetts Legislature.
His senate district included Fitchburg, Leominster, and a number of other different communities in north central Massachusetts.
Tran misplaced the State Senate seat in 2020, and he ended up operating unsuccessfully for Congress within the third District in 2022.
Tran’s federal sentencing has been scheduled for subsequent week.
