2 Quincy Bus Operators Plead Guilty To Bribing Safety Official

QUINCY, MA — Two Quincy men, who ran a Boston charter bus company, pleaded guilty to bribing a federal inspector to ignore safety violations. Lu Wen Wu, 49, and Yat Kuen Chan, 41, were convicted of conspiracy pay an unlawful gratuity and to bribe a public official, unlawful gratuities to a public official and bribery of a public official.

Wu owned and Chan was the safety manager for L&W Travel, the former Boston-based bus company. Prosecutors said that in July and August 2018, the two men paid a safety inspector from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at least $2,800. The men paid the inspector to influence a compliance review and safety audit, according to prosecutors.

According to prosecutors, one of those bribes involved the men paying the inspector $600 to keep L&W's buses in service despite the company's vehicles having inadequate brakes and a defective emergency exit doors.

Wu and Chan will be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2020 in U.S. District Court in Boston.