Garment Factory Manager Indicted on Bribery Charges

0

The manager of a La Puente clothing factory was indicted by a federal grand jury for offering bribes to a United States Department of Labor investigator as a way to get an investigation into wage violations closed.

Arcadia resident Howard Quoc Trinh, 41, who manages Seven-Bros Enterprises, was indicted Wednesday for allegedly offering to pay $10,000 to an investigator, according to the Department of Justice.

Seven-Bros Enterprises was under investigation for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets wages and overtime pay, among other federal standards.

Investigators with the United States Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division made a surprise visit on March 10 to the business. According to investigators, between May 2012 and March of this year, the company owed about $100,000 to its employees for the violations. However, Trinh denied the allegations, saying he owed no back wages. He also added he would “take care” of the investigator. This prompted the investigator to return for another visit, this time armed with a recording device.

During a recorded meeting on March 18, Trinh allegedly gave a payment of $3,000 to the investigator as part of the $10,000 he was offering as a way to end the investigation. Trinh was arrested after a criminal complaint was filed on March 20.

He was released on a $200,000 bond and has been ordered to be arraigned on April 17. Bribery counts have a maximum statutory sentencing of 15 years in federal prison.

Trinh could not be reached for comment.

No posts to display