Houston business owner pleads guilty to filing false tax return
Published 10:51 am Monday, July 6, 2026
HOUSTON — The owner of a Houston-based floral business has pleaded guilty to filing a false federal tax return after admitting she underreported millions of dollars in business income, federal prosecutors announced.
Le Hao Tran, owner of Blooming Gallery LLC and HTX Rental and Delivery Service LLC, pleaded guilty to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return for the 2022 tax year.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Tran’s businesses provided floral arrangements and rental services for high-end events, including weddings and corporate gatherings.
Federal prosecutors said Tran failed to report all of the income she received from her businesses between 2019 and 2022. Authorities alleged she concealed income by cashing customer checks at check-cashing businesses and depositing some checks into bank accounts without recording them in her business records.
In one instance, prosecutors said a corporate client paid Tran more than $2.7 million for floral services provided during a corporate event.
For the 2022 tax year, Tran admitted earning more than $9 million in gross income while reporting only about $7 million on her federal tax return, resulting in her paying less in taxes than she owed.
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According to prosecutors, Tran’s actions caused a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service of $1,391,167. She has since paid that amount in restitution.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks is scheduled to sentence Tran on Sept. 11. She faces up to three years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Tran remains free on bond pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray.
Jakob Gurley is a multimedia journalist with the Victoria Advocate. He can be reached at jakob.gurley@vicad.com.