Calls for Reform Grow in OC After Supervisor Admits to Bribery in Plea Agreement

In the aftermath of the resignation of Supervisor Andrew Do and his plea statement admitting to bribery, national prosecutors, the OC District Attorney and his erstwhile colleagues connected the committee of supervisors made 1 happening wide this week.   

It is not over.

“Today was important,” Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said successful a Tuesday interrogation connected the steps of the region medication gathering Tuesday afternoon. “Now comes the hard part.” 

Do formally resigned his spot connected the committee Tuesday greeting arsenic national prosecutors and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced he’d agreed to plead blameworthy to a felony bribery charge, admitting to accepting implicit $700,000 successful bribes to enrich himself and his extended family. 

[Read: OC Supervisor Andrew Do Charged With Corruption by Federal Prosecutors]

“His imagination of America has present go a nightmare for Orange County taxpayers,” Spitzer said astatine Tuesday’s quality conference. “Corruption of immoderate benignant volition not beryllium tolerated … this probe is acold from over.” 

Federal prosecutors besides said the probe continues.

Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, said Tuesday it’s inactive excessively aboriginal to remark connected the situation. 

“However, it is due to convey Andrew Do’s sincere apology and heavy sadness to his family, to his constituents successful District One and to his colleagues,” Meyer said successful an email statement.

Supervisor Andrew Do during a groundbreaking ceremonial connected Dec. 8, 2021. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

‘Systemic Problems’

At their Tuesday meeting, Sarmiento and Supervisor Katrina Foley spoke astir the request to instrumentality protocols and reforms to shield the region and support taxpayers from immoderate aboriginal misuse of nationalist funds.

“We volition proceed to analyse immoderate further actions coming retired of territory one, and I cognize that our committee arsenic a full is committed to implementing reforms and protocols that volition forestall thing similar this from ever happening again successful the region of Orange,” Foley said.

Sarmiento called it a bittersweet time for the county.

“We cognize it doesn’t statesman and extremity with 1 office. It doesn’t statesman and extremity with 1 person,” helium said. “I don’t deliberation that we should conscionable respire a suspiration of relief, due to the fact that we cognize that determination are immoderate systemic problems with the mode the region has functioned.” 

But neither 1 of them had wide answers connected what those adjacent steps for betterment mightiness look like. 

Sarmiento said they needed to survey however to extremity a “culture that allowed abuse.” 

“The strategy did not person capable defender rails,” Sarmiento said successful an interview, adding that determination were ongoing audits reviewing much of what happened that would pass the county’s response. 

What Kind of Reforms Can Be Made?

The caller Orange County Board of Supervisors airs for photos connected Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. From left: Republicans Andrew Do and Don Wagner, followed by Democrats Doug Chaffee, Katrina Foley and newly-elected Vicente Sarmiento. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Foley pointed retired however the county’s civilian suit against Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, and the nonprofit Viet America Society, wherever Do sent millions of dollars of region funding, was inactive ongoing and apt remains the county’s lone accidental astatine getting the taxation wealth back.

But she besides said that galore of the indispensable reforms person already come, pointing to respective contracting reforms adopted by the committee past period similar having the county’s procurement bureau reappraisal discretionary contracts moving forward. 

“I deliberation the bundle of reforms my bureau projected and the committee voted connected volition screen astir each of this,” Foley said.

She said 1 of her remaining priorities is making it easier for region employees to study problems via hotline, saying erstwhile Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau knew astir the problems with Do’s spending but kept it nether wraps. 

“I deliberation that portion we inactive request to enactment on,” Foley said. “I’m not definite what that looks similar … it wasn’t conscionable this wherever we saw a agelong hold earlier the committee was informed astir nonaccomplishment to comply.” 

Chau said helium was offended by Foley’s claim, pushing backmost successful a substance connected Tuesday afternoon. 

“I americium not definite wherefore she would accidental that erstwhile the contracts for meals was ne'er nether wellness attraction agency,” Chau wrote. “I don’t cognize which bureau they would autumn under. Doesn’t she?” 

Foley pointed retired Chau was liable for managing contracts with the Warner Wellness Center, which she noted unit raised concerns astir erstwhile Rhiannon Do got involved.

Chau denied ever overseeing that contract.

In a Tuesday day telephone interview, Supervisor Don Wagner disputed the request for much regulations but encouraged region unit who spot wrongdoing to talk up. 

“To immoderate region worker I would accidental if you get that unit from a supervisors’ office, you accidental nary and you study it,” Wagner said. “Try arsenic you might, you can’t walk a instrumentality against atrocious judgment. All you tin bash is empower folks who spot it to accidental something.”

From near to right: OC supervisors Doug Chafee and Andrew Do astatine the Orange County Board of Supervisors gathering connected Jan. 8, 2019. The 2 conscionable arsenic an ad-hoc committee that approved declaration connection by a 3rd supervisor, Supervisor Don Wagner, extracurricular of immoderate nationalist meetings, prompting ineligible questions. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who erstwhile called Do his “mentor,” did not instrumentality requests for comment, but issued a abbreviated connection saying the lawsuit “highlights the captious request for ethical leadership.”  

Calls For Accountability 

Tuesday’s comments from supervisors came wrong hours of the U.S. District Attorney’s Office announcing that Do was charged with – and agreed to plead blameworthy to – a conspiracy to perpetrate bribery.

The charges against Do travel aft his location was raided by national agents successful August and aft County lawyers sued his girl and different leaders of the nonprofit Viet America Society for allegedly embezzling millions of taxation dollars to bargain homes – including 1 for his daughter. 

[Read: Orange County Sues County Supervisor’s Daughter and Nonprofit Over Missing COVID Money]

The wealth was intended to beryllium utilized to assistance provender seniors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do’s plea statement and resignation besides landed 2 weeks earlier the Nov. 5 predetermination successful which Cypress City Councilwoman Frances Marquez and State Senator Janet Nguyen look disconnected to win Do arsenic the District 1 supervisor.

In a Tuesday statement, Marquez said territory residents privation transparency and morals restored astatine the committee of supervisors.

“Under Do, our astir susceptible seniors did not person the meals they desperately needed during a deadly pandemic. For however agelong bash our residents request to wage the consequences for our representatives’ corruption?,” reads the statement.

Marquez has besides spoken astatine nationalist meetings, calling for reforms similar creating an bureau to vet businesses and nonprofits seeking region backing and contracts.

Nguyen said successful a statement connected societal media that taxpayers person each close to beryllium outraged by Do.

“The region needs to aggressively question retired wrongdoing with afloat transparency past betterment its operations,” reads her Tuesday statement.

A national cause extracurricular the location of Andrew Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, connected Aug. 22, 2024. The location is located successful the City of Tustin. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

They are not the lone elected leaders criticizing Do.

In an email connection Tuesday, Congressman Lou Correa said anyone progressive successful the strategy to defraud taxpayers should beryllium held accountable to the fullest grade of the law.

“Corruption leads to nonaccomplishment of assurance successful each our democratically elected officials. These national funds were COVID alleviation funds meant to provender our bare Orange County neighbors, seniors, and others, done the American Rescue Plan Act,” reads his statement.

“They were to assistance the needy—and it’s wide these funds ne'er made it to those who needed them. This is morally reprehensible and criminal.”

In August, Correa called connected U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen to analyse allegations against the Viet America Society and their alleged misuse of nationalist funds.

State Assemblyman Avelino Valencia said successful a Tuesday connection that the OC Board of Supervisors opposed a measure helium authored – AB 2946 – that volition necessitate a bulk ballot of the county’s committee of supervisors to grant discretionary funds to nonprofit groups.

That measure goes into effect adjacent year. 

“Our assemblage deserves leaders dedicated to ethical governance and liable stewardship of nationalist resources. Today’s announcement underscores our committedness to rooting retired corruption and holding those who defraud the nationalist accountable,” reads his statement.

Meanwhile successful Little Saigon, assemblage groups including VietRise, the Harbor Institute and Orange County Justice Fund enactment retired a associated connection saying Do’s statement to plead blameworthy and resign is conscionable the archetypal measurement to justice.

“We telephone for restitution of the misappropriated funds to enactment the assemblage it was meant to serve. Community members person mislaid their savings, their livelihoods, and their homes. Orange County residents merit existent justness for the harm Andrew Do and his conspirators person caused,” reads the Tuesday statement.

“Do did not bash this alone.”

Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua said successful a Tuesday evening connection that Do’s plea statement is simply a indispensable measurement towards accountability.

“His resignation raises captious questions astir the systems successful spot and I impulse the Board of Supervisors to clasp this infinitesimal arsenic an accidental for reflection and reform,” she said.

“As Mayor, I volition enactment with the City Manager and his Executive Management Team to safeguard the City’s existent protocols and vet the mechanisms successful spot to debar akin incidents astatine City Hall.”

Santa Ana Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan – the city’s archetypal Vietnamese elected authoritative – lambasted Do successful a Tuesday day statement. 

“It is shameful that Mr. Do and his ellipse of accomplices represented the Vietnamese American community,” she said.

“We volition not let the stain of Mr. Do’s actions to colour the large achievements of our Little Saigon community, galore of whom fled the Vietnam War and came present arsenic penniless refugees.”

Noah Biesiada is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @NBiesiada.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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