OC Supervisor Andrew Do Charged With Corruption by Federal Prosecutors

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is facing national charges of corruption.

Do was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer on Tuesday greeting astatine the Ronald Reagan courthouse successful Santa Ana. 

Federal prosecutors allege Do helped nonstop national COVID bailout to the nonprofit Viet America Society that was expected to provender the elderly

“Mr. Do made definite the wealth went to this group,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Tuesday. “Of the $9.3 cardinal that was sent to viet America Society, lone 15% was utilized for that purpose. The remainder was stolen and utilized for bribes.”  

“As a subordinate of the Orange County Board Of Supervisors, Mr. Do had large authority,” estrada said, adding helium didn’t disclose his girl went there. 

He besides said Do and his household received $700,000 of the COVID bailout funds.

Estrada said Do could look a maximum of 5 years successful prison.  

“He threw it each distant to enrich himself and his family,” Estrada said. “He’s besides agreed contiguous to resign from the Orange County Board of Supervisors.” 

The charges travel aft Do’s location was raided by the FBI successful August.

It besides comes aft region lawyers sued his girl and the nonprofit she helped pb – Viet America Society – successful civilian court, accusing nonprofit officials of embezzling millions of taxation dollars and buying homes, including 1 for Do’s daughter. 

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

“Defendants saw the accidental and conspired to embezzle pandemic alleviation funds by executing contracts that they ne'er intended to perform,” region lawyers wrote successful their suit filed August. 

A bid of records amusement that Do continued sending wealth to the nonprofit adjacent aft region unit had begun raising reddish flags, approving implicit $6 cardinal successful contracts with them done his discretionary funds. 

[Read: OC Staff Raised Early Concerns connected Viet America Society Contract That Saw FBI Raids]

Do had refused to resign pursuing the raid, contempt a weeks-long run from chap supervisors, metropolis assembly members and the nationalist demanding helium measurement speech aft his colleagues censured him. 

[Read: OC Supervisors Censure Colleague Under Federal Investigation]

Do’s plea woody caps disconnected a astir 2 decennary stint successful section authorities that saw repeated investigations into his conduct. 

Last November, Do failed to disclose that his woman was a justice erstwhile helium was called to talk arsenic a witnesser astatine a trial, which triggered a arguable mistrial. 

He resigned his spot past twelvemonth connected the committee of CalOptima, Orange County’s nationalist wellness program for the poor, amidst a authorities audit implicit enforcement wage hikes and different hiring practices that raised questions implicit a programme helium was progressive with. 

[Read: Top Official Resigns From OC’s Health Plan for the Poor Following Revelations of State Probe]

In 2022, helium was fined $12,000 by authorities regulators for trying to steer nationalist lobbying contracts to his run donors. 

[Read: Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do Faces $12,000 State Fine Over ‘Pay to Play’ Politics]

Do has faced questions for years implicit whether helium adjacent lives successful the territory helium represents, questions which are present circulating again aft national agents raided a location helium owns extracurricular of his district. 

[Read: OC Supervisor Andrew Do Accused of Residency Fraud Again arsenic He Runs for Re-Election]

He besides faced investigations from authorities agencies successful 2020 implicit whether oregon not helium utilized his run accounts to launder money, but helium was aboriginal cleared owed to determination being insufficient grounds helium broke the law. 

[Read: State Launches Money Laundering Investigation into Andrew Do and OC Republican Party]

State leaders besides passed caller rules banning elected officials from sending retired payer funded mailers with their names connected it 60 days earlier an predetermination aft Do spent $1.2 cardinal connected mailers to voters successful his territory successful 2016, which authorities regulators did not prosecute charges on. 

[Read: State Will Not Pursue Enforcement Over Do’s 1.2 Million Taxpayer-Funded Mailers]

That probe besides came arsenic determination were questions astir however Do’s past main of unit Brian Probolsky was moving afloat clip connected the supervisor’s reelection run portion receiving a region salary. 

[Read: Ethics Experts Question Campaign Work by Supervisor’s Top Aide]

Do besides was investigated by the DA’s bureau successful 2017, but nary charges were ever filed, according to a ineligible ailment from a erstwhile DA researcher astatine the time. 

[Read: DA’s Former Top Investigator Seeks Records of Pulido, Do, and Nguyen Probes]

Before his clip connected the committee of supervisors, Do served connected the Garden Grove City Council but resigned successful 2011 amidst questions implicit whether oregon not helium lived successful the city. 

[Read: Santana: OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s Political Journey That Ended successful FBI Raids]