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 https://tips.fbi.gov and/or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at 310- 477-6565.
