Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sentencing Delayed

The man once selected as Deaf Person of the Year by Deaf Life magazine will be sentenced for fraud in June. John Yeh was originally going to find out how much jail time he would get in just a matter of days, but the judge in the case has delayed sentencing. He plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud as part of a deaf service agency in Maryland. He, and his brother Joseph Yeh, owned Rockville-based Viable. They admitted trying to defraud the FCC's Video Relay Service program by paying people to make fake calls. They submitted about $55 million in claims to the federal agency, asking for reimbursement. Other charges were dropped in return for the guilty pleas. The brothers face 20 year prison sentences and a possible fine of a quarter of a million dollars. 24 other people from around the country also faced charges. At least 12 plead guilty. New York's Snap!VRS agreed to aquire Viable, pending the outcome of the investigations and prosecutions.