Investigations

On November 1, 2018, a five-count indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court, Boston, Massachusetts, charging Yat Kuen Chan and Le Wen Wu with conspiracy and bribery. According to the indictment, the two individuals played a role in a scheme to bribe a safety investigator at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). On the same day, DOT-OIG and FBI agents arrested Wu, the owner and sole corporate officer of L&W Travel Inc. (L&W), a passenger bus charter company purportedly located in Boston. Chan, a consultant for L&W, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2018.

 

The indictment alleges that Chan and Wu conspired to provide $2,800 to the safety investigator to influence a compliance review and safety audit performed at L&W in July and August 2018. Their alleged goal was to ensure that all of L&W’s buses remained in service, despite at least two serious safety violations, and that L&W was not subject to significant fines, despite multiple violations of DOT safety regulations.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the FBI.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.