Latest news with #AndrewDo
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former O.C. supervisor Andrew Do sentenced to 5 years in federal prison
Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. While in office, Andrew Hoang Do, 62, 'accept[ed] more than $550,000 in bribes for directing and vot[ed] in favor of more than $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters,' the United States Department of Justice said in a news release. That nonprofit, the Viet America Society, received millions from the county, investigations by LAist and other outlets discovered. Do's daughter Rhiannon Do, 23, purchased a million-dollar home after VAS officials allegedly enriched themselves using the tax funds. 'As a county supervisor, Andrew Do transformed the County of Orange into an ATM available to his insiders, his loved ones, and himself, withdrawing millions of dollars to buy houses, lavish dinners, and expensive wine while the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable who depended on Andrew Do were left to fend for themselves,' said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. 'We, along with our federal partners, are continuing to peel back the layers of conspiracy to hold every thief accountable and return those stolen monies to the communities to which they belonged.' Do, who resigned his office and agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery last year, has a restitution hearing set for Aug. 11. He will be responsible for repaying 'the bribe money he and his daughters received,' prosecutors said, though the plea has already cost the Do family hundreds of thousands of dollars. 'Do forfeited assets connected to the bribery scheme, including the Tustin property his daughter purchased in 2023,' the DOJ said. 'As part of his daughter's related diversion agreement, she forfeited the Tustin property.' Also forfeited was Do's pension accrued during the scheme. 'Elected officials have a sworn duty to put their constituents' interests ahead of their own,' said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. 'Public money intended to assist aging and ailing pandemic victims instead filled the coffers of Do, his family, and insiders. I commend our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their work on this important case and for helping to remove a corrupt politician from his seat of power.' Anyone with information on public corruption in Orange County is encouraged to send information to the FBI's email tip line at and/or to contact the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at 310- 477-6565. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Ex-Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do sentenced to 5 years in prison for bribery
Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who pleaded guilty last year to taking bribes and directing COVID-19 relief funds to a nonprofit where his daughter worked, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison. Do resigned his seat on the board as part of a 2024 plea deal where he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. The 62-year-old received the maximum five-year sentence. Between 2020 and 2024, Do "used his position as the supervisor for Orange County's First District to steer millions of dollars to his personal associates in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes," prosecutors said in their sentencing brief. The supervisor took bribes to cast votes that funneled more than $10 million in county contracts to the Viet America Society, where his daughter Rhiannon worked. After going to the nonprofit, monthly payments were made to his daughter, totaling $224,000 by 2024. She used that money to buy a $1 million home in Tustin and Do and his family received more than $700,000 in bribe payments, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Do used the money to pay property taxes and to pay credit card debt. "The scheme essentially functioned like Robin Hood in reverse. Mr. Do and his conspirators stole money from the poor to give to themselves," former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said earlier. The prosecution argued that Do should receive harsher punishment for his corruption, as such crimes are "an assault on the very legitimacy of government." "The scheme was far-reaching and premeditated, and the defendant had no qualms about pulling others into his criminal enterprise, including his own children," prosecutors said. Also on Monday, a new co-defendant in the case, 61-year-old Thanh Huong Nguyen of Santa Ana, is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and concealment of money laundering. Nguyen operated the Hand to Hand Relief Organization. Do's associate Peter Anh Pham, 65, of Garden Grove, who ran VAS, was also indicted on single counts each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud bribery and six counts each of wire fraud and concealment of money laundering. Pham's whereabouts are unknown and federal prosecutors say he is considered a fugitive. Do's attorney, Paul Meyer, released an apology statement on his behalf following the announcement of his plea deal last year. "It is appropriate to convey Andrew Do's sincere apology and deep sadness to his family, to his constituents and District 1, and to his colleagues," the statement read. Do's attorneys continued to detail the former supervisor's remorse. "He has watched the complete destruction of his career, reputation, his life and that of his family," his attorneys said. "…In short, Andrew Do's life has been destroyed by his own acts."
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
O.C. Supervisors urge DOJ to reassess Andrew Do's plea deal
The Orange County Board of Supervisors is asking the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice to review and reassess former Supervisor Andrew Do's potential sentence two months ahead of his next scheduled court date. In October, Do admitted guilt in steering more than $10 million in federal pandemic relief funds through a nonprofit connected to his daughter, Rhiannon, for personal gain. He received more than $550,000 in bribes from the funds intended to provide meals to elderly Little Saigon residents during the pandemic's early days. Do pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy charge and faces a maximum of five years in federal prison when he goes before a judge on June 9. Prior to that, supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday that called the potential sentencing one 'that fails to reflect the full scope of his self-dealing and corruption.' Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who won election to fill Do's vacated seat, helped spearhead the effort earlier this month. But supervisors deadlocked on the original resolution presented during the April 8 Board of Supervisors meeting and asked county counsel for guidance. A revised resolution brought back on Tuesday found more political support as it struck references to the plea deal as 'rushed,' adding language alleging misconduct by Do in having received privileged emails between supervisors and county counsel related to plea negotiations and other confidential matters after he resigned. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who wanted county counsel to file an amicus brief and a victim impact statement in the case, spoke in favor of the resolution. 'It is an irregular path that we're taking, but I think these are instances that shock the conscience,' he said. 'These are instances that are outrageous.' In a statement provided after the meeting, Paul Meyer, an attorney for Andrew Do called the resolution 'reprehensible' and 'a blatant attempt to assert political influence in a federal matter.' The resolution, in making its case, cited stiffer sentences for other public officials convicted of corruption and bribery, including former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, who received a 12-year sentence last year for accepting more than $750,000 in bribes. Supervisor Don Wagner, the lone vote against the resolution, took issue with the cases presented in it as cherry-picked and called back to his time in the State Legislature when former state Sen. Ron Calderon got 42 months in prison for accepting more than $150,000 in bribes. 'There are cases where elected officials convicted or pleading to crimes similar to this get less,' he said. 'How come that's not in our resolution? We're only looking for the ones where somebody gets more than Supervisor Do. It isn't a fair comparison.' Nguyen limited her comments during the meeting, but thanked representatives of the Vietnamese American community who came out in support of the resolution. Phat Bui, a former Garden Grove councilman, shared a letter from the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California, where he serves as president, when speaking before supervisors. 'Former supervisor Andrew Do is a lawyer [and] husband of a judge,' Bui said. 'He should know the law. The crime that he committed is so severe that a five-year plea deal is not suitable.' Wagner pushed back against the email controversy in suggesting what kind of conversations Do had with his attorney prior to the county being informed of the correspondences cannot be known. 'All we know is that at some point, supervisor Do contacts his lawyer and says, 'I'm getting these emails,'' he said. 'The district court judge can inquire of the lawyers, and to the extent he can get an answer without breaching attorney-client privilege, he can do it. We cannot.' Wagner found himself in the minority. Board Chairman Doug Chaffee stated his belief that an amicus brief and victim statement remain as future possibilities. Until then, the resolution would speak for the county, as it passed 4-1. 'We are a victim and this is a statement from the victim,' Chaffee said of the resolution. 'Our money was taken and misspent. We do speak for those who were victimized in the community as well.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
O.C. supervisor claims disgraced predecessor spent money for Tet Festival before she took office
The former Orange County supervisor who's admitted to corruption also plundered funding for the annual Tet Festival, his successor claims. The successor to Andrew Do, who funneled COVID-19 relief funds into a nonprofit connected with his daughter, said he spent the money set aside for Tet on the Sept. 14 Moon Festival, forcing the festival's cancellation, as reported by the Orange County Register. His successor, Supervisor Janet Nguyen, said the First District coffers are below $15,000. That fund is supposed to be at $200,000, but Do spent three-quarters of that on the September festival, a period of time during which he was already under federal investigation, she said. 'He spent almost everything he had before the newly elected supervisor could be seated, making sure the county couldn't give constituents a Tet Festival celebration in February,' Nguyen said, as reported by the Register. 'His goal was to spend out the money. … I think it's more of a final flipping the community off.' Do's attorney argued that the money was not all spent on the Moon Festival but instead was 'the 2024 spending for an entire year of events.' Do is scheduled to be sentenced in March, at which point he faces up to five years in federal prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
