Former Founder and CEO John Yeh of Viable Will be Sentenced in June 2011
Former Rockville deaf-services executives to be sentenced in June
The sentencing of John T.C. Yeh, founder and former CEO of Rockville deaf services company Viable, and his brother, former Viable executive Joseph Yeh, has been delayed from this month to June 6, according to federal court documents.
The Yehs in October pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In November 2009, they were among 26 people nationwide to be charged in an indictment with conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program, which helps deaf people communicate, by billing the government for millions of dollars in illegitimate calls.
The Yehs each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Paul Kemp, a partner with Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger in Rockville who is representing John Yeh, and Stanley Reed, a principal with Lerch, Early and Brewer in Bethesda who is representing Joseph Yeh, could not be reached for comment Monday.
At least a dozen defendants, including former Viable executives Anthony Mowl and Donald Tropp, have pleaded guilty in the case. Tropp is expected to be sentenced in July, according to court documents.
John Yeh is expected to be sentenced before any of the others who have pleaded guilty, said Christopher A. Hostage, a Rockville attorney representing Tropp.
Marc Velasquez Verson of Lake Oswego, Ore., was the latest defendant to enter a guilty plea in the case last month, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Verson also is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6 in the Trenton court.
Snap!VRS of Pearl River, N.Y., a video relay service company, agreed to acquire Viable in August 2009. Company officials could not be reached for comment Monday.
Shortly after the Yehs pleaded guilty to the mail fraud count, Snap!VRS executives said in a statement that the Yehs and others who were indicted on similar charges had not had “any involvement with Viable for over a year.”
“While we are disappointed with the acts of some individuals … ensuring that people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have access to relay services remains of utmost importance to Snap!VRS,” executives said.
In court documents filed last fall, the Yehs said they were unemployed.
John Yeh has long been involved with organizations that advocate for the deaf community, such as the National Asian Deaf Congress and National Deaf Business Institute. He was a trustee of Gallaudet University, a Washington, D.C., institution that specializes in education for deaf people, for more than a decade. Deaf Life, a monthly national magazine founded in 1987, honored him as Deaf Person of the Year in 2008.
A previous business that John Yeh formed, software engineering and integration company Integrated Microcomputer Systems, in Rockville with the help of his brothers, reached $40 million in revenue in 1995 before he sold it in 1996.
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i did order it about 3 yrs from lv i never get it i want refund in full please
Comment by deena coffey on March 1, 2011 at 11:21 pm
i want refund in full i been wait for 3 yrs
Comment by deena coffey on March 1, 2011 at 11:25 pm
please i want refund in full i been wait get money back for 3 yrs
Comment by deena coffey on March 1, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I bought viable about 3 years but I don’t use it all the time so now I want REFUND back to me after a few deaf people told me about refund.
Thanks
Comment by Robin Trujillo on March 5, 2011 at 2:13 am
I want to know the court date for DHIS and the address so i can show up in person. I want to see my former employer go to jail for the crime that they committed.
Comment by Shaka Zulu on April 19, 2011 at 7:02 pm
You guys are ALL wrong! Yes they both made fake calls BUT it gave many Deaf people jobs when they were and still are today limited for DEAF PEOPLE!My uncle is Deaf and he can’t find a job with out hardships even NOW! What America doesn’t understand is that John and Joseph gave people oppertunities! John Yeh is not power-hungry if that what you guys think they are. To me this SIMILAR to Rockfeller during the 1900′s only Yeh is not a thief! And the government let Rockfeller do his own thing but now they get all tough on this man? I don’t think so even if it was a hundred years ago, I don’t see any improvement with our so-called government. From the comments that I have seen, none tend to look deeper and see what Mr. Yeh has done. He did it for the Deaf People of America, he gave them JOBS when when were/are limited,and he brought the Deaf Community closer with others and the Hearing, but now………….. I think DPA and everybody else are nothing but a bunch of hypocites just like the rest of so-called ‘American People’
Comment by CJ on May 10, 2011 at 1:50 am
I wonder how Mr. John Yeh paid for his son wedding? I wouldn’t be surprised if he stole the money from the FCC. This man was building a pyramid using his classmate and Jason’s friend to build this company. It’s amazing how Jason’s mother in law got into the pix. Jason married Irma s daughter and DHIS was brought into the VRS business. It show the world how money destroy innocent people. I watch how innocent people life were ruin. Jason’s friend who worked for Viable now suffer because they commit Federal offense.
Irma’s daughter who worked for the Federal government. She knew her mother who own DHIS and father in law were abusing the FCC in mins. I truly feel that Jason and Irma’s daughter should be brought up on charges for not reporting it’s to the FCC. John Yeh hired his daughters to work for Viable and they should be brought up on charges. Mr. Yeh and Irma would hire people who didn’t have the education and paid them to make calls. Irma and Joshua who owned DHIS and they hired three Rusian and one Israelis to run the foreign language translation department. They were all deaf and they were all getting paid to be part of this abusive practice.
When I first met Mr. Yeh at the Viable X mas party. He was arrogant sob who look at women like a piece of meat. I can’t wait for him to go to jail with his croonies and they can wear a pink dress. I just hope Judge Pisano send them to Federal prison in the Midwest so no one can see their family. They deserve to serve the maximum years in jail and lose their social security when they get out of jail.
I feel bad for Mrs. Mary Yeh because her husband is a womanizer. I sympathize the good people who work for DHIS. I feel bad for the little kids who parent were involved in the VRS fraud.
I always say a wise man who know right from wrong wouldn’t participate in this illegal act. I truly think that they should lower the tier payout and the FCC put a limit in calls per day for each deaf customers. I personally think that they will continue to abuse minutes because it’s too easy to make money doing this business. I think the FCC should hire one company to be a consulting like myself and make all sign language interpreters Federal employees. This way they don’t abuse tax payer money. I think any company like DHIS should be ban in working in the sign language interpreter business. Mr. Finkle and Mrs. Irma A should never be allow to get State and Federal contract work. I know Mr. Finkle is going to ask his mother to run his business. I spoke to the staff of DHIS and Viables because they wanted me to implement how they felt about their previous employer.
I want to thank this website for letting me to express myself. I think Judge Pisano should stop letting them stall the case and throw their ass in jail. This case gone to long without justice. This case is like a Mini Madoff.
Comment by Gail on May 12, 2011 at 2:20 am
I heard John Yeh never went to jail on January 11 th. The government need to wakeup and throw them in jail. Fxxk there right. If you are a thieves and you admitted you did wrong. You shouldn’t be free!!!! If you committed the crime you should serve the time. None of them should gett ssdi for there family or themselves when they get out of jail.
Comment by Neal Golden on January 13, 2012 at 10:52 am