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'''Tan Duc Nguyen''' (born 1973) is an American former politician. He twice stood as a candidate for the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in [[California]].  In 2006, he ran as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] against incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Loretta Sanchez]] in [[California's 47th congressional district]].

On February 14, 2011, Nguyen was sentenced by United States District Judge [[David O. Carter]] to 366 days in federal prison followed by six months in a halfway house for lying to investigators about his knowledge of a letter to intimidate Latino voters from voting in his 2006 race.<ref name="FBI">{{cite press release|title=Former Congressional Candidate Sentenced to Prison for Lying During Investigation Into Campaign Letters|publisher=U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California|date=February 14, 2011|url=https://www.fbi.gov/losangeles/press-releases/2011/la021411.htm}}</ref>

==2004 Congressional campaign as a Democrat==
In 2004, Nguyen lost the [[California's 46th congressional district|46th district]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] primary to [[Jim Brandt (politician)|Jim Brandt]],<ref>[http://primary2004.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/4600.htm Official 2004 primary election results] from the [[Secretary of State of California]]</ref> who lost to incumbent [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Dana Rohrabacher]] by a 30% margin.<ref>[http://vote2004.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/4600.htm Official 2004 general election results] from the [[Secretary of State of California]]</ref>

==2006 Congressional campaign as a Republican==

Nguyen won the Republican Party's endorsement to run for the 47th Congressional District of California in the June 6, 2006 primary election with 55.4% of the votes in a three-way race.<ref>[http://primary2006.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/4700.htm Official 2006 primary election results] from the [[Secretary of State of California]]</ref>  Nguyen lost to incumbent [[Loretta Sanchez]] in the November election, receiving 37.6% of the votes.<ref>[http://vote2006.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/4700.htm Official 2006 election results] from the [[Secretary of State of California]]</ref>

===Campaign mailing controversy===

Nguyen's campaign was linked to a Spanish-language mailing of 14,000 letters allegedly warning immigrants not to vote, threatening them with prison or deportation. The letter was received by registered Hispanic voters the weekend of October 15, 2006 and sent to then-[[California Attorney General]] [[Bill Lockyer]], who launched an investigation into the source of the letter on Monday, October 17, 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=Candidate who sent immigration flier urged to quit | work= Daily Breeze |location=Torrance, Calif|date=20 Oct 2006|page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Local GOP pulls support for party's candidate / He's linked to letter saying immigrants can't legally vote|author=Gledhill, Lynda| url = http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-10-20/bay-area/17317863_1_jail-time-orange-county-party-democratic-party|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=October 20, 2006|page=1}}</ref> As translated in the press at the time, it read in part:<ref>[http://www.theliberaloc.com/pdf/theletter.pdf Spanish-language mailing linked to Tan Nguyen campaign]</ref>

:You are being sent this letter because you were recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, we ask that you participate in the democratic process of voting. You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in imprisonment, and you will be deported for voting without having the right to do so.<ref>{{cite news|first=Norberto, Jr. |last=Santana |url=http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1326599.php |title=Nguyen's campaign office raided |newspaper=[[The Orange County Register]] |date=October 21, 2006 |accessdate=October 23, 2006}}</ref>

The letter was issued on the letterhead of the [[California Coalition for Immigration Reform]]; however, its chairwoman denied any involvement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-scare17oct17,1,5513175.story?coll=la-headlines-politics&ctrack=1&cset=true|title=State Investigating Intimidating Letter Sent to O.C. Latinos|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]|last=Delson|first=Jennifer|date=October 17, 2006|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>  Nguyen denied any personal involvement in the incident, and stated that an employee in his office who might have been responsible had since been fired.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Prengaman |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/10/19/national/a140727D82.DTL&type=politics |title=OC GOP urges candidate whose campaign sent letter to withdraw |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=October 19, 2006 |accessdate=2006-10-23 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105072225/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2006%2F10%2F19%2Fnational%2Fa140727D82.DTL&type=politics |archivedate=2006-11-05 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> In the meantime, a national coalition of ethnic bar associations formed, led by the [[Mexican American Legal Defense Fund]] and spearheaded by its former President and General Counsel, [[John Trasvina]]. The coalition drafted and signed a joint letter calling for an investigation into the letter. On Friday, October 20, [[California Department of Justice]] agents raided Nguyen's campaign headquarters in [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove]] and his home in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Jennifer;author1=Delson, Jennifer|authorlink2=Christopher Goffard|author2= Goffard, Christopher and|author3= Tran, Mai |last=Delson |url=http://www.latimes.com/la-me-letter21oct21,0,7524703.story?track=mostviewed-homepage |title=Raids Widen 'Immigrant' Letter Probe |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=October 21, 2006 |accessdate=2006-10-23}}</ref>

On May 16, 2007, the California Department of Justice investigation determined there was no evidence that Nguyen's campaign had an intent to intimidate those legally entitled to vote. The investigation had found that the original draft of the letter (in English) had warned illegals and those with green cards against voting, but elsewhere had encouraged those with U.S. citizenship to vote.  The phrase "those with green cards" had then been translated into "emigrado" for the Spanish-language letter that was mailed; this had later been translated back into English as "immigrant" when the letter was brought to light in the media.  Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons stated the investigation found that Nguyen did, in fact, know about the letter before it was mailed, in contradiction to Nguyen's repeated assertions that he was not aware of it.  Nguyen, who continued to deny involvement with the letter, in other respects, stated satisfaction with the investigation results and considered himself exonerated.<ref>[http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/gardengrove/article_1697421.php Tan Nguyen cleared by State Attorney General] from the [[OC Register]]</ref>

=== Obstruction of justice indictment ===

Despite the California Attorney General declining to press charges against Nguyen, a federal grand jury indicted him on a charge of [[obstruction of justice]] brought against him by the [[United States Attorney]]'s Office for the Central District of California and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite news |title=California: Campaign Flier Case  |author= |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=October 3, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/us/03brfs-CAMPAIGNFLIE_BRF.html}}</ref> There were two jury trials which were presided over by United States District Court Judge [[David O. Carter]].<ref name="FBI" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Congressional candidate's trial delayed |first=Martin |last=Wisckol |newspaper=[[Orange County Register]] |date=May 4, 2010 |url=http://www.ocregister.com/totalbuzz/tan-467740-http-nguyen.html }}</ref> Nguyen was found guilty by a jury and was sentenced in February 2011 by Carter to one year in prison and six months in a halfway house.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former candidate Tan Nguyen: 'It's been hell'|first=Greg|last=Hardesty|work=Orange County Register|date=February 14, 2011|url=http://www.ocregister.com/news/nguyen-288239-sentence-carter.html}}</ref>

Nguyen's conviction was upheld on appeal to the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]].<ref>[http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2012/03/23/11-50061.pdf ''United States v. Nguyen'', slip op. (9th Cir. Mar. 23, 2012)]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Caging list]]
*[[Voter turnout]]

==References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
*[http://65.45.193.26:8026/cms/acct/tan4congress/main Tan Nguyen Campaign Website]
*[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/6409 Tan Nguyen Election History]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Tan D.}}
[[Category:American politicians of Vietnamese descent]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American people of Vietnamese descent]]
[[Category:Vietnamese emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:California Democrats]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota alumni]]
[[Category:California politicians convicted of crimes]]