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Former congressional candidate Tan Nguyen faces up to 20 years in prison

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Former congressional candidate Tan Nguyen faces up to 20 years in prison
Former congressional candidate Tan Nguyen faces up to 20 years in prison

A former Orange County congressional candidate is scheduled to appear in court in Santa Ana this morning.

After his first trial ended in a hung jury, a second federal jury in December convicted former Republican congressional candidate Tan Nguyen of one count of obstruction of justice.

The case stemmed from Nguyen’s campaign against Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez five years ago.

Nguyen’s campaign sent a letter to Latino voters, telling them that immigrants could face jail or deportation if they tried to vote.

Nguyen at first blamed a campaign worker; then he said the letter’s meaning got lost in translation and that he meant it to say illegal immigrants, not just immigrants.

But Nguyen got in trouble for lying to investigators and initially telling them that he wasn’t involved with the letter. They say that interfered with their investigation into the letter.

Nguyen faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced.

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