OC supervisor Andrew Do is resigning and is expected to plead guilty

ORANGE COUNTY, California. – Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who was under pressure to resign amid an investigation into county funding provided to a nonprofit COVID-19 relief organization that employed his daughter, will immediately vacate his seat and plead guilty to a federal bribery charge, prosecutors announced Tuesday. .

Do, 62, has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit bribery, admitting that in exchange for more than $550,000 in bribes, he cast votes on the Board of Supervisors that represented more than 10 million in 2020. dollars in COVID relief. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the money went to the Viet America Society, where his daughter Rhiannon worked.

Prosecutors say he could face a maximum of five years in prison.

Prosecutors said some of the county money received by VAS was ultimately funneled through an unnamed third-party company that made monthly payments of $8,000 to Rhiannon Do, which totaled $224,000 as of February 2024. The company also transferred more than $380,000 to an escrow company, and Rhiannon Do used that money to buy a $1 million home in Tustin, prosecutors said. Other money was sent back to Andrew Do to pay property taxes on properties owned by him and his wife, while another $15,000 was used to pay one of Andrew Do’s credit card bills, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“By putting his own interests above those of his constituents, the defendant sold out his high office and betrayed the public trust,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. Worse, the money he embezzled and accepted as bribes was taken from those most in need: older adults and disabled residents. Our community deserved much better. Corruption has no place in our politics and my office will continue to hold officials accountable. who deceive the public.”

While agreeing to plead guilty to the federal bribery charge, Andrew Do also reached a separate but related settlement with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office under which he will immediately resign as district supervisor and forfeit any retirement credits he he has built up during the period. time he was involved in the bribery scheme, authorities said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: OC Supervisors vote to remove Andrew Do from the OC Committees, the OCTA Board

Rhiannon Do has agreed to fully cooperate with the investigation and may participate in a diversion program. She agreed to forfeit the Tustin home, prosecutors said.

Andrew Do had already been stripped of his committee assignments and his seat on the Orange County Transportation Authority board. Do was also censured by his fellow supervisors, some of whom have called for him to resign as they did not have the power to remove him from office.

One of those supervisors, Katrina Foley, responded to the news of Do’s indictment by writing on I am disgusted by the staggering levels of corruption, greed and deceit detailed in the federal indictments.”

Board Chairman Don Wagner said in a statement: “We are grateful for the thorough and diligent investigation conducted by federal law enforcement officials. Orange County residents have demanded answers and accountability. That includes the board, which has taken several steps to address contracting and regulatory practices. This indictment relates only to the federal criminal investigation and remains committed to pursuing its civil lawsuits to hold all responsible parties accountable and recover misused public funds.”

The firestorm surrounding Do began last year when questions were raised about COVID-19 relief contracts given to the Viet America Society, which employed Do’s daughter. The furor boiled over in August when the province sued VAS in an effort to recover millions of dollars for missing services tied to a contract for a program to deliver meals to the elderly and needy during the pandemic.

Do was not named in the lawsuit, but his daughter was accused of using some of the money to buy the Tustin home. Do also has connections to Peter Pham, the head of VAS.

VAS officials insisted they prepared and delivered the meals during the pandemic but failed to provide adequate accountability for the services. A lawyer for VAS said drivers were struggling to collect all the paperwork as residents were practicing social distancing during the pandemic.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal — who was appointed to hear the county’s lawsuit because Do’s wife and Rhiannon’s mother is Orange County Superior Court Judge Cheri Pham — ordered VAS to pay nearly $4 .2 million to be set aside in case the province prevails in its lawsuit.

The province has also sued the Hand to Hand Relief organization, which subcontracted to VAS.

Federal investigators raided the homes of Peter Pham and Rhiannon Do in August, along with other locations involved in the investigation into alleged misuse of funds, including Andrew Do’s home.

The intention was that Do would leave the Supervisory Board at the end of the year due to term limits.

“This is a day Orange County residents have been waiting for to ensure Supervisor Do is held accountable for his misconduct,” County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said in a statement. the most vulnerable in our province. We must not stop the investigation until all parties involved are brought to justice and the systemic problems that led to these abuses are reformed.”