Law360 Quotes Arent Fox Partner Michael Zweiback on US v. Tran Plea Arrangement

Law360 featured a quote from Arent Fox White Collar & Investigations partner Michael Zweiback on the details of a new plea arrangement reached on behalf of Mr. Zweiback’s client, John Tran, the former mayor of Rosemead, California, who was accused of “illegally soliciting and receiving a series of payments from developer Tammy Gong in exchange for city approval of a development project, although [the project] was never approved in the end.”

The publication reported that, as a result of the new plea arrangement, “. . .Tran won’t be prosecuted on the two felony charges, although he could still face up to two years in federal prison, in addition to a $500,000 fine.”

“While that is the maximum the court can fine him, we don’t expect a fine in this case,” said Mr. Zweiback.

Following the original plea withdrawal, Mr. Tran faced additional charges of witness tampering and making false statements to the FBI, and, “prior to reaching the new plea arrangement, [he] could have faced up to 25 years in prison,” according to the article.

Michael Zweiback, a member of Arent Fox’s White Collar & Investigations practice group, is a former Assistant US Attorney, having served as chief of the Los Angeles US Attorney’s Cyber & Intellectual Property Crimes Section and as deputy chief of the Los Angeles US Attorney’s office Organized Crime and Terrorism Section. As a private practice attorney, he has represented individuals and companies in investigations involving health care fraud and securities, antitrust, public corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.

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