United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FRESNO, Calif. - Lynn Truong, aka Linh Thi Truong, 40, of Clovis, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for a conspiracy to defraud lenders while buying homes to use to grow marijuana, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

On April 9, 2012, Truong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In pleading guilty, Truong acknowledged that she had conspired with her mortgage broker, Monique Nguyen, aka Monique Dzu Le, 62, to defraud GreenPoint Mortgage Funding Inc. in order to obtain a $545,000 loan to purchase a residential property in Willits. She overstated her income, misrepresented her job title, and made other false statements. The house was converted into a marijuana cultivation operation. Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies seized 856 marijuana plants from the Willits property, and grow lights and equipment from Truong’s residence in Clovis. Nguyen was convicted of mortgage fraud in this case.

In sentencing Truong, United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill said: “You took a mammoth risk and lost.”

This case is the product of an investigation sponsored by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) program. OCDETF is a focused interagency program investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) led the investigation with primary support from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Clovis Police Department, Fresno Fire Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in-house Mortgage Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar prosecuted the case.