New Hampshire Woman Sentenced for Obstructing Grand Jury Probe of Ex-Senator Dean Tran

BOSTON — A New Hampshire business owner received a federal prison sentence today for attempting to obstruct and interfere in a grand jury investigation involving her brother, former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the sentencing in federal court in Boston on June 5, 2026. The defendant, whose name appears in the charging documents as the sister of Dean Tran, was convicted of obstruction of justice under statutes that criminalize efforts to impede grand jury proceedings.

Scope of the case centers on a single defendant who used her position as a business owner to influence or withhold information sought by the grand jury. The investigation focused on activities linked to Tran during his tenure in the Massachusetts Senate.

Court records show the interference included actions intended to prevent witnesses or evidence from reaching the grand jury, though the precise methods remain sealed in parts of the public file.

The sentencing changes the prior state in which the defendant faced trial to a final judgment of guilt with immediate incarceration. The judge imposed a term of imprisonment followed by supervised release; exact duration was not detailed in the Department of Justice release but falls under federal guidelines for obstruction counts that carry up to 10 years in prison.

The sentence takes effect immediately upon issuance.

Downstream, the conviction requires the Bureau of Prisons to designate a facility and begins the defendant’s obligation to pay any assessed fines or restitution. It also obliges the U.S. Attorney’s Office to report the outcome to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office and any relevant state ethics bodies that previously reviewed Tran’s conduct.

Federal probation officers must now monitor compliance with post-release conditions that prohibit contact with targets of the original grand jury. The case also supplies precedent that federal prosecutors in the First Circuit can cite when seeking enhanced penalties in future family-member interference matters.

This marks the latest federal action stemming from investigations into former Massachusetts state legislators. Dean Tran, a Republican who represented the 2nd Worcester District, left the Senate in 2020 after earlier federal scrutiny of his campaign finances and business dealings.

The Department of Justice has pursued several obstruction-related cases in New England in the past three years involving attempts to influence witness testimony before grand juries.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice