SANTA ANA, California — A high-ranking elected official in Southern California’s Orange County has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in a wide-ranging attempt. plan that misused COVID-19 relief funds that should have been used to feed seniors.

Andrew Do, a county supervisor who recently resigned from his position, pleaded guilty in federal court in Santa Ana, California, on Thursday under an agreement with federal prosecutors.

Do, 61, apologized to his family and those who depended on him in a statement he read in court.

“I feel great regret for my actions,” he said.

Authorities said Do accepted more than half a million dollars in bribes while helping ensure that federal COVID relief funds were funneled to an organization that claimed to be feeding elderly and disabled people. The group, Viet America Society, where Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, was listed as a leader, did not spend most of the money it received for the meals on providing them, authorities said, adding that some of the funds were spent on goods roots. .

The case arises in a long-running investigation into the Viet America Society and as Orange County, which is home to more than 3 million people between Los Angeles and San Diego, filed a civil lawsuit alleging the group misused funds. federal.

Federal officials said only 15% of the more than $9 million funneled to the group went to providing meals. Officials said the group also received $1 million for a local Vietnam War memorial, which has not yet been completed.

In the investigation, authorities seized more than $2 million. Officials declined to immediately say how the rest of the money received by the group was used.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters after Thursday’s court hearing. Spitzer said authorities were committed to recovering assets obtained in connection with the scheme and returning misappropriated funds to the federal government.

Andrew Do came to the country as a Vietnamese refugee and grew up in Orange County before attending college and law school. He went on to become a prosecutor and city councilman and later won a seat on Orange County’s five-person board of supervisors representing a group of communities, including surf-friendly Huntington Beach. His sentencing is scheduled for March 31.

Authorities have said Rhiannon Do is cooperating with the investigation under an agreement with prosecutors and will not be charged.