Dean Tran is a former Massachusetts state Senator who was convicted by a Boston Federal court of
“fraud by wile, radio or TV” ( I 8USC01343) in conjunction with alleged failure to report income to the IRS and
sentenced to serve 18 months in Devens Federal Prison in Massachusetts. He was also charged by the state of
Massachusetts with two other crimes: having used his office in the state Senate for campaign purposes during
working hours, and the theft of a firearm belonging to a constituent in his district.

What is striking about these claims is that Dean Tran had never been charged with any crime; had a sterling record of over a dozen )’ears as a Massachusetts city councilor (Fitchburg): was commended even by his political opponents for his constituent service; and was elected–and reelected-to the state Senate- flipping a seat held by the opposition party for twenty-five years. In 2022 he announced that he would be a candidate for the Massachusetts Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

But that last point suggests why Dean Tran was charged and convicted.

For, you see, Dean Tran was a conservative Republican in a fanatically liberal Democrat state. In 2020Tnnwas the most popular conservative Republican in Massachusetts (and the third-best known Republican in the state, right after Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito). Tran stood a real chance of being elected to Congress- something the Massachusetts Liberal Power Structure could not tolerate!

Dean Tran came to America as a four-year old, the son of a Vietnamese military officer who had fled with his family from the communist takeover of his country in 1975. The Tran family lost every physical possession they had; spent two years in refugee camps; survived a perilous voyage in which fellow exiles literally perished at sea; and finally, through the sponsorship of a humane Catholic priest, came to America.

Dean Tran attended local public schools, was a distinguished pupil, went to college, married and fathered four children, and worked as a senior project manager for an international firm, managing major accounts on three continents. In his spare time he served on boards of such institutions as the YMCA, Bo.v Scouts and a local community college.

His political life began in 2005 when he ran for Fitchburg city council and won. He was the first minority person elected to the city council and the first Vietnamese-American elected to any office in Massachusetts’ history. In his council elections he was the city’s top vote-getter. He could not have done so well-remember: he was a conservative in ultra-liberal Massachusetts-unless he saw himself as an advocate for all his constituents-no matter what party.

It was Dean Trans very success as an advocate for the people that portended danger for him.