A San Jose, California resident has pleaded guilty to mail fraud for his scheme to steal from thousands of businesses and charities with scam letters that appeared to be from state agencies, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Johnny Q. Nguyen, 50, agreed to pay $90,850 in restitution to victims who mailed checks or money orders to his Olympia post office box, believing they were paying state-required registration fees. Nguyen is scheduled for sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo on May 22, 2026.
According to records filed in the case, in the fall of 2024, Nguyen sent mass mailings on fake government letterhead to thousands of entities.
The mailings were fraudulent billing statements directing the recipients to send checks to a post office box Nguyen had rented in Olympia, Washington.
The letters instructed recipients to pay registration and filing fees for their businesses or charities. Nguyen created a limited liability company called ‘Business Entities’ and induced the victims to make their checks payable to that entity.
Thousands of Washington and California victims sent checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders. Nguyen deposited some $ 350 from Washington victims, totalling $82,210.
He cashed 60 from California victims, totaling $8,640.
Investigators seized an additional 1,711 pieces of mail containing checks and money orders totalling $395,295.
After being charged in this scheme, Nguyen appeared in the U.S. District Court in Northern California. He was instructed to surrender all passports and appear in Tacoma for arraignment.
Instead, on June 24, 2025, Nguyen boarded a flight from San Francisco to Taipei, Taiwan enroute to Vietnam.
He used a passport that he had failed to surrender to the court. Nguyen was detained in Taipei and put on a flight back to California, where he was taken into custody. He was later released on pre-trial supervision.
Chief Judge Estudillo can consider the attempt to flee from justice in determining the appropriate sentence.
Mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend 33 months in prison.
