Southern California official resigns and pleads guilty in Covid-19 funding investigation

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Prosecutors announced Tuesday that a high-ranking elected official in Orange County, California, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in a scheme involving charity and misuse of COVID-19 relief funds.

Orange County First District Supervisor Andrew Do will also resign from his position, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said during a joint news conference with federal prosecutors.

“Mr. You have unequivocally violated the public’s trust,” Spitzer said. According to Spitzer, this is the first conviction of an Orange County supervisor in 50 years.

The case comes after federal agents raided the home of Andrew Do and his daughter Rhiannon Do as part of a long-running investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds. Officials say Rhiannon Do will not face charges and is cooperating with the investigation.

Paul S. Meyer, attorney for Andrew Do, said: “Out of respect for the legal process, no statement is appropriate at this time. However, Andrew Do’s sincere apologies and deep sadness must be conveyed to his family, the voters of District One and his colleagues.”

Orange County – home to 3 million people between Los Angeles and San Diego – filed a civil lawsuit this year alleging that local nonprofit Viet America Society misappropriated funds received during the coronavirus pandemic to feed the elderly and disabled. Instead, the county says, the nonprofit’s management used nearly $10 million to purchase the property.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Andrew Do has signed an agreement to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with a far-reaching plan to use federal funds to feed disabled and elderly residents during the pandemic and use them for personal purposes. As part of the deal, Do agreed to resign from his board position, Estrada said.

Andrew Do publicly touted the meal program for his constituents, but of the more than $9 million donated to the Viet America Society, only 15% was used for that purpose, Estrada said.

Federal authorities seized $2.4 million in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said. Estrada said Andrew Do agreed to forfeit any interest on the money and two homes in Orange County.

Do’s wife is a judge in Orange County. Estrada declined to answer reporters’ questions about whether she was involved in the scheme. Estrada said the investigation is ongoing.

Supervisor Katrina Foley said she was “disgusted by the astonishing levels of corruption, greed and fraud described in the federal indictments.”

“Andrew Do and his enablers must pay a price for their crimes against the people of Orange County,” Foley said in a statement Tuesday.

Andrew Do, a Republican, was a Vietnamese refugee before becoming a prosecutor and city council member, then winning a seat to represent county residents on the five-member board of supervisors.