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Temp firm operator pleads guilty to bribes

April 01, 2010

A Philadelphia temporary employment agency operator pleaded guilty Tuesday to bribing a senior investigator with the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey reported.

The temporary firm operator, Thuan Nguyen, 38, of Philadelphia, agreed to pay employment taxes owed plus interest and penalties which total more than $400,000.

Nguyen admitted to paying bribes totaling $145,773 between 2006 and December 2008 to protect his firms from state audits of compliance and payroll tax obligations, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Nguyen also admitted to not collecting and truthfully accounting for taxes.

Nguyen's employment agencies included N&T Staffing Inc., Janus Staffing and United Employment Services. He also was involved with JNT General Services Inc. and K&B Staffing. All firms were based in the Philadelphia area but provided workers to businesses in southern New Jersey.

Nguyen had made the bribe payments between 2006 and December 2008 to Joseph Rivera, 54, of Winslow NJ, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Rivera, who was a senior investigator with the state of New Jersey at the time he took the bribes, pleaded guilty a year ago to solicitation and acceptance of a bribe and tax evasion, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Winslow collected bribes from others in addition to Nguyen and the amount totaled more than $1.86 million, according to the office.

Rivera is set to be sentenced on June 3.