California Central District Attorney’s Office announced on October 22 that Orange County’s District 1 Supervisor, Andrew Do, had agreed to plead guilty to a federal felony charge of accepting over $550,000 in bribes from COVID-19 relief funds in exchange for directing over $10 million in relief funds to a charity organization linked to his daughter, Rhiannon Do.
The prosecutor’s office condemned Andrew Do for abusing his position of trust as a supervisor, siphoning over $550,000 from funds intended for providing meals for the elderly. Later this month, he is set to make his initial court appearance at the United States District Court in Santa Ana and face a maximum of five years in federal prison.
Do has agreed to fully repay the debt before sentencing, immediately resign from his position on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and forfeit pension credits accrued during the bribery period. In August 2022, the Orange County government seized over $2.4 million from the implicated non-profit charity organization, the Viet America Society (referred to as VAS) and “Company 1” in court documents.
Andrew Do has served as the District 1 Supervisor since 2015, overseeing cities such as Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, and Westminster.
According to the press release, Andrew Do was well aware that the money allocated to VAS was not entirely used for providing meals for the elderly. Instead, these funds were embezzled for profit by insiders, including purchasing real estate under the names of his daughter and “Company 1,” bribing Andrew Do, his daughter, and other implicated individuals. The flow of money included:
From April 2021 to February 2024, VAS paid approximately $100,000 monthly to “Company 1” (totaling $3.804 million), which then paid Rhiannon Do $8,000 monthly ($224,000 in total). In July 2023, “Company 1” transferred $381,500 from funds received from VAS to a trust company, and Rhiannon Do used this money to purchase a house in Tustin for $1,035,000, with over $600,000 in mortgage application documents involving falsified information. Rhiannon Do has admitted to committing crimes, violating federal and state laws.
Andrew Do confessed that the aforementioned $381,500 trust fund was a disguised bribe to him. Additionally, there was a $100,000 bribe, including three $25,000 checks sent from VAS to air conditioning “Company 2.” Some bribes were directly handled by Rhiannon Do, like paying $14,849 in property taxes for Andrew Do and his wife in 2022, and around $15,000 for their credit card bills.
U.S. prosecutor Martin Estrada stated, “The defendant prioritized his own interests over those of the voters, betrayed the public’s trust, and sold out his high office.”
Orange County Prosecutor Todd Spitzer expressed, “Millions of Americans have died from COVID-19, and Andrew Do misappropriated millions of federal pandemic relief funds, diverting money meant for seniors and sick residents to insiders, himself, and his favored pockets, while simultaneously shaping a public image as a hometown hero guiding voters through global pandemic uncertainties and fears. In Orange County, no one is above the law, and these charges should serve as a strong warning to elected officials everywhere that actions have consequences, and justice will be swiftly and decisively served.”