LOS ANGELES
A jury Tuesday found the manager of Seven-Bros Enterprises in La Puente, Howard Quoc Trinh, 42, of Arcadia, guilty of offering to pay $10,000 in bribes to a Department of Labor Wage and Hour Investigator to close an investigation, officials said.
The jury found Trinh guilty of two counts of bribery after the evidence indicated that Trinh offered to pay $10,000 in bribe, and actually paid $3,000 to the inspector. As part of the bribery scheme, Trinh promised to pay the balance when the investigation was closed, according to officials.
“Companies and their managers victimizing their own employees through wage violations cannot perpetuate their conduct through bribes,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “This jury verdict strikes a blow against both corruption and the exploitation of workers.”
Trinh is facing up to 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
The criminal complaint alleges the following facts and circumstances:
- The investigator was investigating Seven-Bros for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets standards for minimum wage and overtime pay.
- The Labor Department Wage and Hour investigator led a team that conducted an unannounced visit to Seven-Bros on March 10.
- The investigation into wage violations covered a period from May 2012 through March 10, 2015, and found that Seven-Bros owed about $100,000 to compensate employees for FLSA violations over that period.
- The investigator returned to Seven-Bros on March 18, at which time Trinh said he did not owe his employees any back wages and that he wanted to “take care” of the investigator.
- In response to Trinh’s statements, the Labor Department’s Office of Investigator General initiated an investigation and outfitted the investigator with recording equipment.
- On the evening of March 18, during a recorded meeting, Trinh allegedly offered the investigator $10,000 to close out the investigation without finding any violations.
- The next day, during another recorded meeting, Trinh gave the investigator an initial payment of $3,000 in a manila envelope.
The criminal complaint was filed on March 20.