OC Supervisors to Consider Hiring Outside Investigators in Wake of Bribery Scandal

Orange County Supervisors mightiness prosecute extracurricular investigators to probe corruption aft 1 of their erstwhile colleagues admitted to accepting bribes and directing $10 cardinal to a nonprofit that past allegedly utilized the wealth illegally. 

“It’s true. I person large sorrow for my actions,” said erstwhile Supervisor Andrew Do erstwhile helium pleaded blameworthy successful beforehand of a national justice connected Halloween. “I’m liable for each word.” 

[Read: Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme]

The words of Do’s signed plea statement see his admittance that helium steered implicit $10 cardinal successful COVID bailout wealth slated for feeding the aged aboriginal successful the pandemic to a nonprofit his girl worked astatine – with national investigators uncovering astir of that wealth didn’t provender people. 

Do and his household received astatine slightest fractional a cardinal dollars from the deal,l according to Do’s signed plea, and he’s present awaiting sentencing. 

But Do’s blameworthy plea doesn’t extremity the contented for region supervisors, who are suing the nonprofit to effort and get the taxation wealth backmost portion supervisors question however they ne'er learned astir Do’s amerciable spending until it was reported past year, contempt unit knowing for months earlier that.

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

Now, 1 supervisor is calling for an extracurricular reappraisal of Do’s enactment and a reappraisal of however region unit study misconduct, on with imaginable reforms to the supervisors’ codification of morals to springiness them immoderate teeth.

County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, left, astatine the Orange County Board of Supervisors gathering connected Aug. 27, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

In a connection to Voice of OC connected Thursday, Sarmiento said the extremity of the investigators would beryllium to analyse “the wide representation of what happened successful the lawsuit of Andrew Do.” 

“The cardinal present is to summation an extracurricular autarkic and broad attack to reviewing each that has transpired and spot if that reappraisal reveals immoderate further areas that should beryllium looked astatine going forward,” Sarmiento said. “It is done this extracurricular audit that we tin get the afloat picture.” 

The connection is slated to beryllium discussed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors astatine their 9:30 a.m Tuesday meeting. 

Sarmiento’s apical petition is to hunt for and prosecute an extracurricular steadfast to analyse “all contracts directed oregon influenced by erstwhile Supervisor Andrew Do,” who sat connected the committee of supervisors for astir 8 years. 

It besides requires that the study beryllium publically presented to the committee of supervisors during a meeting. 

Sarmiento’s petition comes a small implicit 2 years aft a corruption ungraded kicked disconnected successful Anaheim, which led to the illness of the Angel Stadium onshore merchantability and the erstwhile politician and erstwhile caput of the enclosure of commerce pleading blameworthy to a bid of national crimes. 

Anaheim City Council members authorized an autarkic probe aft erstwhile Mayor Harry Sidhu resigned and aboriginal pleaded blameworthy to lying to national agents astir trying to ram done the present canned Angel Stadium onshore merchantability for a $1 cardinal successful run support.

Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu during the groundbreaking for Gypsum Canyon tract successful Anaheim Hills connected Dec. 8, 2021. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

City hired autarkic investigators past produced a 353-page study documenting escaped lobbyist oversight, power peddling by Disneyland edifice country interests, developer favoritism and a disregard for authorities unfastened gathering and nationalist grounds laws.

After the report’s release, officials implemented a big of reforms including requiring officials to usage authorities phones, posting councilmembers’ gathering calendars online and mandating Disney’s in-house lobbyists registry with the metropolis – each without publically discussing the probe report. 

They besides required metropolis assembly candidates to repay their debts wrong a twelvemonth of the predetermination and bounds idiosyncratic run loans to $100,000 and hired an ethics officer to oversee run concern laws and different bully authorities measures.

Sarmiento is besides asking for interim County CEO Michelle Aguirre and County Counsel Leon Page to reappraisal the county’s existing fraud hotline to spot if it really works, and grow the county’s anti-retaliation argumentation for workers who study misconduct. 

His last petition was for the county’s Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission, to probe however an expanded codification of morals could enactment for supervisors, including “potential enforcement mechanisms.” 

“Former Supervisor Do’s indictment, blameworthy plea agreement, and resignation from the Board showed america that the County procurement and contracting system, successful spot during the pandemic, was susceptible to abuse,” Sarmiento said. 

“We indispensable radiance an extracurricular airy connected our declaration and procurement systems and measure our advancement successful implementing needed reforms.” 

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

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