{"id":12220,"date":"2010-11-02T08:03:40","date_gmt":"2010-11-02T13:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=12220"},"modified":"2010-11-02T08:53:43","modified_gmt":"2010-11-02T13:53:43","slug":"owner-and-a-former-executive-of-indicted-video-relay-services-company-plead-guilty-to-defrauding-fcc-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/11\/02\/owner-and-a-former-executive-of-indicted-video-relay-services-company-plead-guilty-to-defrauding-fcc-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Owner and a Former Executive of Indicted Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Department of Justice<\/p>\n

Office of Public Affairs<\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n

Thursday, October 28, 2010<\/p>\n

Owner and a Former Executive of Indicted Video Relay Services Company Plead
\nGuilty to Defrauding FCC Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 John T.C. Yeh, the owner of Viable Communications Inc., and his
\nbrother, Joseph Yeh, the former vice president for corporate strategy and
\nsecond in charge for Viable, pleaded guilty today to engaging in a
\nconspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) Video
\nRelay Service (VRS) program, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A.
\nBreuer of the Criminal Division and John G. Perren, Acting Assistant
\nDirector in Charge of the FBI\u2019s Washington Field Office.<\/p>\n

John Yeh, 63, and Joseph Yeh, 65, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge
\nJoel A. Pisano in Trenton, N.J., to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. John
\nand Joseph Yeh were indicted on Nov. 19, 2009, along with Anthony Mowl,
\nViable\u2019s former assistant vice president of business development; Donald
\nTropp, Viable\u2019s former human resources manager; and the Viable corporate
\nentity. The defendants are alleged to have submitted a total of
\napproximately $55 million in VRS claims to the FCC.<\/p>\n

In pleading guilty, John and Joseph Yeh admitted that beginning in
\napproximately fall 2007, they conspired with others to pay individuals to
\nmake fraudulent VRS phone calls using Viable\u2019s VRS service. According to the
\npleas, John and Joseph Yeh paid Mowl and Tropp, who then would pay others to
\nmake the fraudulent phone calls using Viable\u2019s VRS service. Viable then
\nsubmitted the fraudulent call minutes to the FCC and was paid approximately
\n$390 per hour for all VRS calls that Viable processed.<\/p>\n

According to the indictment, VRS is an online video translation service that
\nallows people with hearing disabilities to communicate with hearing
\nindividuals through the use of interpreters and Web cameras. A person with a
\nhearing disability who wants to communicate with a hearing person can do so
\nby contacting a VRS provider through an audio and video Internet connection.
\nThe VRS provider, in turn, employs a video interpreter to view and interpret
\nthe hearing disabled person\u2019s signed conversation and relay the signed
\nconversation orally to a hearing person. VRS is funded by fees assessed by
\ntelecommunications providers to telephone customers, and is provided at no
\ncost to the VRS user.<\/p>\n

At sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 9, 2011, John and Joseph Yeh each face a
\nmaximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and mandatory
\nrestitution and forfeiture.<\/p>\n

Mowl and Tropp pleaded guilty in January 2010 to one count of conspiracy to
\ncommit mail fraud. Co-defendant Viable is awaiting trial on the charges in
\nthe indictment. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is
\npresumed innocent until and unless proven guilty at trial beyond a
\nreasonable doubt.<\/p>\n

In addition to the indictment charging the Yehs, Mowl, Tropp and Viable,
\nfive other indictments were unsealed on Nov. 19, 2009, charging an
\nadditional 22 people with engaging in a scheme to steal millions of dollars
\nfrom the FCC\u2019s VRS program. The indictments charge owners and employees of
\nthe following six companies with engaging in a scheme to defraud the FCC\u2019s
\nVRS program:<\/p>\n

Viable Communications Inc. of Rockville, Md.;
\nMaster Communications LLC of Las Vegas;
\nKL Communications LLC of Phoenix;
\nMascom LLC of Austin, Texas;
\nDeaf and Hard-of-Hearing Interpreting Services Inc. (DHIS) of New York and
\nNew Jersey;
\nInnovative Communication Services for the Deaf Corp. (ICSD) of Miami Lakes,
\nFla.; and
\nDeaf Studio 29 of Huntington Beach, Calif.<\/p>\n

These cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Hank Bond Walther and Trial
\nAttorneys Brigham Cannon and Robert Zink of the Criminal Division\u2019s Fraud
\nSection, with the investigative assistance of the FBI\u2019s Washington Field
\nOffice, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FCC Office of Inspector
\nGeneral.<\/p>\n

10-1223<\/p>\n

Source:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/2010\/October\/10-crm-1223.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, October 28, 2010 Owner and a Former Executive of Indicted Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program WASHINGTON \u2013 John T.C. Yeh, the owner of Viable…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[2041,4621,6983,2035,2038,6985,3668,2040,342,2019,6986,6989,2037,2036,6988,6987,1859,2042,2033,2028,2034,2032,6984,2031,650,61],"class_list":["post-12220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-anthony-mowl","tag-article","tag-brigham-cannon","tag-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-interpreting-services-inc","tag-deaf-studio-29","tag-deputy-chief-hank-bond-walther","tag-dhis","tag-donald-tropp","tag-fcc","tag-federal-communications-commission","tag-frauds","tag-fraudulent-phone-calls","tag-icsd","tag-innovative-communication-services-for-the-deaf-corp","tag-joel-a-pisano","tag-john-g-perren","tag-john-t-c-yeh","tag-joseph-yeh","tag-kl-communications-llc","tag-lanny-a-breuer","tag-mascom-llc","tag-master-communications-llc","tag-robert-zink","tag-viable-communications-inc","tag-video-relay-service","tag-vrs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-3b6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9643,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/10\/three-former-owners-and-employees-of-two-video-relay-service-companies-plead-guilty-to-defrauding-fcc-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":0},"title":"Three Former Owners and Employees of Two Video Relay Service Companies Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Three Former Owners and Employees of Two Video Relay Service Companies Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program Three former owners and employees of two different video relay service companies pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8466,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2009\/11\/20\/twenty-six-charged-in-nationwide-scheme-to-defraud-the-fcc%e2%80%99s-video-relay-service-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":1},"title":"Twenty-six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the FCC\u2019s Video Relay Service Program","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, November 19, 2009 Twenty-six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the FCC\u2019s Video Relay Service Program Arrests Made in Nine States Indictments were unsealed today against 26 people charged with engaging in a scheme to steal millions of dollars\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16850,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/12\/01\/founder-of-rockville-deaf-services-company-gets-nine-years-for-fraud\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":2},"title":"Founder of Rockville deaf services company gets nine years for fraud","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"December 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Founder of Rockville deaf services company gets nine years for fraud Yeh and his brother also ordered to pay $20M each by Kevin James Shay, Staff Writer Note: You can watch John Yeh's video statement at court on YouTube.com here. A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced John T.C. Yeh, former\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7492,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2009\/08\/25\/snapvrs-to-acquire-viable-communications-inc\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":3},"title":"Snap!VRS to Acquire Viable Communications, Inc.","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 25, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Move Makes Snap!VRS a Leader in Deaf Community Outreach While Maintaining Industry-Standard Ethical Business Practices August 19, 2009 For Immediate Release Media Contact: Matt Bartoloni\/Noah Lichtman, 973-799-0200 Pearl River, N.Y. - Snap!VRS announced today its plans to acquire Viable Communications, Inc. The companies reached agreement on Friday and will immediately\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6497,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2009\/05\/18\/viable-expands-with-branch-in-austin-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":4},"title":"Viable Expands with Branch in Austin, Texas","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Contact: Glenn Lockhart Viable Inc. Tel: 240.292.0222 x227 Fax: 301.230.2442 contact@viable.net www.viable.net Viable Expands with Branch in Austin, Texas ROCKVILLE, MD \u2013 May 14, 2009 \u2013 Viable, Inc., a deaf-owned and deaf-operated provider of video interpreting services for deaf and hard of hearing people, will open a business office in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26555,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/03\/04\/sorenson-communications-files-for-bankruptcy\/","url_meta":{"origin":12220,"position":5},"title":"Sorenson Communications files for bankruptcy","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Sorenson Communications files for bankruptcy March 3, 2014 (Reuters) - Sorenson Communications Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late on Sunday, a court filing showed, as declining revenue and mounting debt forced the company to consider restructuring. Sorenson, which provides video relay services (VRS) for people with hearing loss,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12230,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220\/revisions\/12230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}