A New Hampshire woman admitted in a Boston federal court this week that she tried to cover for her brother, former State Senator Dean Tran, during a criminal investigation. Tuyet T. Martin, a 55-year-old resident of Pelham, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a single count of obstruction of justice. She now faces the possibility of significant prison time for lying to a grand jury to help her sibling.
The legal trouble began when federal authorities started looking into Dean Tran’s finances. Back in November 2023, Tran was arrested and hit with a 28-count indictment. Investigators said he fraudulently collected pandemic unemployment benefits that he wasn’t supposed to have.
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On top of that, he was accused of hiding income from his consulting work and rental properties on his tax returns for three years straight, from 2020 through 2022.
As agents dug deeper into Tran’s money trails, their focus turned to a job offer letter. The letter came from Martin, who was the owner and CEO of a business based in New Hampshire. Investigators suspected the job offer wasn’t legitimate. When they called Martin to testify before a grand jury in July 2023, she didn’t tell the truth about that letter. That false testimony is what eventually led to her own legal charges in June 2024.
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The charge of obstruction of justice carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release and a fine that could reach $250,000.
However, actual sentences are usually decided by a judge who looks at federal guidelines, so the final punishment might be different. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV is set to decide her fate on May 13, 2026.
This plea wraps up a difficult legal chapter for the family. Dean Tran has already admitted to his part in the crimes. He pleaded guilty in December and is scheduled to hear his sentence very soon, on January 30.
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