SANTA ANA, Calif. (TNND) — A California county supervisor has agreed to plead guilty to accepting more than $550,000 in bribes since 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
Andrew Do admitted that he accepted the bribes in exchange for directing millions in COVID funds to a charity associated with his daughter, according to the DOJ. He has represented the 1st District on the Orange County Board of Supervisors since 2015, but agreed to resign as part of his plea agreement.
“Mr. Do had a duty to act in the best interest of the citizens of Orange County,” Ryan Korner, the special agent in charge with the inspector general’s office for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, said in a press release. “He neglected that duty and misused the financial system to enrich himself.”
Andrew Do steered more than $10 million in COVID-related funds to the Viet America Society charity, the DOJ said. He worked with Orange County employees to approve payments to the organization, which paid a company that distributed money to his daughter, Rhiannon Do, according to the announcement.
The DOJ said Rhiannon Do then bought a house with more than $380,000 of the funds, a purchase that was a “disguised” bribe to her father. Andrew Do also admitted to accepting $100,000 in bribes in the form of payments sent to his other daughter, the department added.
Andrew Do used nearly $15,000 of the money directed to his daughters for his property tax payments, according to the announcement. The DOJ noted the same amount was used to pay his credit card bill.
“Elected officials have a responsibility to implement programs and policy that will benefit all the people they serve. Their role is not to squander money, solicit bribes, or to steer funds to organizations or persons, wherein a coordinated effort allows those funds to make their way to family members or friends,” Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said.
The funds Andrew Do directed to Viet America Society were meant for providing meals to the elderly population during the first couple of years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the DOJ. The department said he knew the organization was not providing all the meals it could have with the funds.
“By putting his own interests over those of his constituents, the defendant sold his high office and betrayed the public’s trust,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said. “Even worse, the money he misappropriated and accepted as bribe payments was taken from those most in need – older adults and disables residents. Our community deserved much better.”
Supervisor Katrina Foley, D-5th District, wrote via X Tuesday Andrew Do must “pay the price” for the crimes committed “against the people of Orange County.” She was one of multiple county supervisors who called for him to be censured over the matter in September.
“Instead of serving as an example of what the American Dream can achieve, Andrew Do dragged his family and associates into an American Nightmare,” Supervisor Foley said.
Andrew Do is expected to make his initial appearance in court later this month in Santa Ana.
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Publish date : 2024-10-22 04:24:00
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