A former staffing firm operator in Massachusetts pleaded guilty on Sept. 11 to a tax fraud scheme where $8 million was paid “off the books” in cash wages, the US attorney’s office announced.

Det Tran, 62, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes, according to the office. US District Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Dec. 10.

Tran owned and operated staffing firm HTP Temp from 2018 through 2021, according to the office. By paying wages off the books, he was able to evade more than $2.1 million in employment taxes.

The charges have a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.

Tran’s attorney has been contacted for comment.