A San Jose resident, Johnny Q. Nguyen, has been arrested following an indictment in the Western District of Washington. He is accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud thousands of businesses and charities using fraudulent mailings that appeared to be from state agencies. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the charges, which include multiple counts of mail fraud and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that in late 2024, Nguyen sent mass mailings on fake government letterhead to numerous entities. These mailings contained fraudulent billing statements instructing recipients to send checks to a post office box rented by Nguyen in Olympia, Washington. The letters requested payment for registration and filing fees for businesses, directing victims to make checks payable to “Business Entities,” a limited liability company created by Nguyen.
Victims from Washington and California responded by sending checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders. Investigators report that Nguyen deposited approximately 350 checks from Washington victims totaling $82,210 and cashed 60 checks from California victims amounting to $8,640. Additionally, authorities seized 1,711 pieces of mail containing checks and money orders worth $395,295.
Nguyen faces charges related to three types of money laundering: concealment for depositing funds into accounts he controlled; promotion for using deposits to further his fraud scheme; and spending for transferring money for personal use.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of $90,851 in profits obtained through the scheme. If convicted, Nguyen could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of mail fraud and money laundering.
It is important to note that these charges are allegations at this stage. An individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Nguyen’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 1, 2025, in the Western District of Washington.
Authorities advise verifying any communication claiming to be from a government agency by contacting the agency directly through publicly available contact information on their official website.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is investigating the case with Assistant United States Attorney Jehiel Baer prosecuting.
