A Georgia woman, Thanh Hoa Thi Bui, also known as Xena Bui, 43, formerly of Valdosta, has been sentenced to an additional 12 months in federal prison following her conviction for failing to surrender for service of a previously-imposed federal sentence. Bui, who was previously convicted of wire fraud and making unlawful monetary transactions, was found to have embezzled more than $1.6 million from her employer, a small business located on North Sherwood Forest Drive in Baton Rouge, where she worked as a bookkeeper.
Between September 2017 and November 2020, Bui used her access to the company’s bank account to make hundreds of fraudulent transactions, which she used to pay the electricity and gas for a large chicken farm in Mississippi and to make payments to a company in Covington, Louisiana, to which she owed money for real estate that she had purchased. Bui took extensive steps to conceal her scheme, and as she obtained proceeds from the scheme, she would quickly move the funds through her bank accounts, withdraw the funds in cash, and make other transactions, including at local casinos.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, with valuable assistance from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana State Police. In November 2024, U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Bui to serve 63 months in federal prison and to pay restitution of approximately $1.69 million to her victim.
However, Bui failed to surrender to the United States Bureau of Prisons to begin serving her sentence as ordered. The U.S. Marshals Service immediately initiated an investigation into her whereabouts, and on February 26, 2025, she was charged in a criminal complaint with failing to surrender for service of her sentence.
On March 20, 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service located Bui at a casino and hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and arrested her. A few days later, she was charged in an indictment with failure to surrender. In September 2025, Bui pled guilty to the new charge, and the sentence imposed today, by law, will run consecutive to the existing 63-month federal prison sentence from the previous case.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens, who also serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.
Bui was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment. She will begin serving her additional 12 months in federal prison immediately.
The victim in this case suffered a significant financial loss due to Bui’s actions. The restitution ordered in the case will help to compensate the victim for some of the losses incurred.
Defendant: Thanh Hoa Thi Bui (also known as Xena Bui)
Criminal Charges: Failing to surrender for service of a previously-imposed federal sentence
City and State: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Exact Date: February 10, 2025
Sentence or Outcome: 12 months in federal prison, consecutive to 63 months in federal prison
Dollar Amounts: $1.6 million embezzled, $1.69 million restitution ordered
Related Federal Cases
- Thanh Hoa Thi Bui, Embezzlement, Louisiana 2023 · New York
- Marlene Barkheimer, FDIC Advisory Committee Appointment, Washington 2023 · Massachusetts
- Gary R. Gibbs, Conspiracy to Defraud, Louisiana 2023 · Oklahoma
- Munira Schofield, Wire Fraud, Louisiana 2024 · Louisiana
- Romney Manuel, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Louisiana 2021 · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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