BOSTON – A Worcester man was arrested today and charged in
federal court on fraud charges arising from his role overseeing UT Services, a
Worcester employment agency.
Tam Vuong, 43, was charged with two counts of wire fraud and
will appear in federal court in Worcester later today.
According to the criminal complaint, while in his role
overseeing and controlling UT Services, Vuong falsely told UT Services’
insurance carrier that the company had only one employee and an annual payroll
of only $50,000, when in actuality, UT Services had dozens of employees and a
significantly higher payroll. UT Services paid most of its workers in cash as
part of a scheme to underreport wages, and thus fraudulently minimize its
workers’ compensation insurance premium.
UT Services allegedly disseminated forged certificates of
insurance to several clients and underreported its payroll on various state and
federal filings.
According to court documents, Vuong previously operated
other employment agencies, including Prime Labor Services, which had revenues
of more than $25 million and also underreported its wages. Vuong shifted
operations from Prime Labor Services to UT Services after federal agents
executed search warrants in November 2017.
Each count of wire fraud carries a sentence of no greater
than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of
up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based
on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R.
Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Boston Field Office; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the
Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Anthony
DiPaolo, Chief of Investigations, Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts, made
the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s
Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The
defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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