Thank you Lok Camdisc. Thavary On Fri, Oct 8, 2010 at 2:11 PM, In Camdisc <[email protected]> wrote:
> Rhode Island businessman sentenced for fraud, tax evasion > > * 01:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 8, 2010* > > *By Michael P. McKinney > > Journal Staff Writer* > > Chea > > PROVIDENCE — A man who says he endured more than five years in a forced > labor camp in Khmer Rouge-ruled Cambodia in the 1970s was sentenced Thursday > in U.S. District Court to two years in prison and ordered to pay $14.3 > million in workers’ taxes for the temporary employees his company supplied > to businesses. > > > > Cheang Chea, 73, owner of S&P Temporary Help Service Inc. of Providence, > which provided hundreds of temporary workers to about 30 Rhode Island > companies, pleaded guilty in June to tax evasion, theft from a health-care > benefit program and mail fraud over a period that began in 2003. > > > > And as he awaited sentencing, he continued business as usual, the U.S. > Attorney’s office said Thursday. > > Prosecutors say that Chea has the means to pay the $14.3 million. > > > > Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi said she understood that he experienced > “unspeakable horrors” in Cambodia and that he should be commended for having > built a business after arriving as a refugee in the country with so little. > But, she said, “I have before me a paradox”: a man who became a successful > professional but cheated employees and the government on taxes. She said he > and his family have done well, noting he has a Mercedes Benz. > > > > As Lisi imposed sentence, which includes a year of supervised release when > Chea leaves prison, a woman began to cry uncontrollably. A man seated next > to her in the federal courthouse on Kennedy Plaza picked her up and carried > her from the courtroom. > > > > Chea, through a translator, expressed regrets, but recounted being > surrounded by killing in Cambodia and constant fear for his life. > > Prosecutors said in court documents that Chea, based on a report submitted > by the defense, has recently been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress > syndrome and depression, and a prison sentence would afford him the > opportunity to get treatment. > > Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan asked the judge to impose a 46-month > sentence, at the low end of the pre-sentencing guidelines of 46 to 57 > months. Along with ordering payment of the $14.3 million in withholding, > Social Security and Medicare taxes, the prosecution wanted a $75,000 fine > imposed. Donovan said the company under-reported to the government a > substantial amount of the wages paid to the temporary workers. > > > > Donovan said the prosecution believes the businesses Chea sent workers to > paid people off the books and below minimum wage. Court documents said that > Chea paid workers $200 in cash for a 40-hour work week or $5 an hour. The > U.S. Attorney’s office said that the people Chea placed in temporary jobs > were mostly East Asian and non-English speaking workers. > > > > Defense lawyer Geoffrey Nathan said in court Thursday that Chea paid his > workers the federal minimum wage. Court documents say the minimum was $7.40 > for the period of Chea’s tax evasion. > > > > S&P Temporary Help Service, in supplying workers to the companies, said it > would be responsible for all payroll withholding. The companies would send > S&P a check to cover what it charged for the workers. Chea would pay the > workers. > > > > While the prosecution acknowledged Chea’s trauma in Cambodia, Donovan said, > he “is not someone who stands before this court claiming to not understand > what his obligations are.” Rather, he decided “to pick and choose” how much > money to report to the federal government and has “reaped the benefits” for > his family. > > > > Chea was reportedly known in the Asian immigrant community as a generous > man who donated money to local Buddhist temples and to help build a hospital > in Cambodia. > > > > “He was helping rebuild Cambodia in what he’s doing, and helping people get > jobs,” Molly Soum, former president of the Cambodian Society of Rhode > Island, said in June after Chea’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors. > The agreement rules out any appeal of Thursday’s sentence. > > > > Court documents said, between 2003 and 2007, Chea deposited more than > $996,000 into the bank accounts of relatives from his business and personal > accounts. > > > > Nathan said he has received countless letters in support of his client, and > that Chea has said he wants to pay the money owed to the government. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. > This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. > Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc > Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org
