Washington Man Sentenced to Prison for Immigration Scheme Targeting Vietnamese Community

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HAI VAN NGUYEN, 42, of Lynnwood, Wash., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 38 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a fraud scheme targeting members of the Vietnamese community in Connecticut and other states.

According to court documents and statements made in court, NGUYEN advertised through Facebook a purported avenue for legal sponsorship for individuals to come to the United States from Vietnam. When contacted, NGUYEN guaranteed clients that he could obtain legal entry into the U.S. for their family members through his company, New Saigon Entertainment. NGUYEN guaranteed a green card upon arrival in the U.S. and U.S. citizenship within five years. Through fraudulent representations, NGUYEN convinced two Connecticut residents to assist him in recruiting clients for his purported company. The Connecticut residents collected deposits toward NGUYEN’s $35,000 fee pursuant to more than 50 contracts from clients in Connecticut, South Carolina, Maine and Arizona.

Additional victims of NGUYEN’s fraudulent scheme were identified in Ohio and Texas.

In total, NGUYEN defrauded members of the Vietnamese community seeking legal entry for family members into the U.S. of approximately $550,000.

Judge Shea ordered NGUYEN to pay restitution in the amount of $492,025.

NGUYEN has been detained since his arrest on May 5, 2016. On April 20, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

NGUYEN also has been charged with similar conduct in the State of Ohio, where there is an arrest warrant pending.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.