Federal and local authorities have recovered $3.7 million of more than $10 million in pandemic relief funds in a fraud scheme involving former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section has determined that the county is entitled to as much as $8.8 million from any forfeited assets related to COVID relief money that Do said he directed to two charities in exchange for more than $550,000 in bribes, according to District Attorney Todd Spitzer. The funding was intended to pay for meal programs for older people and people with disabilities.
Besides the seized assets, Do has been ordered in federal court to pay $878,230 in restitution to the county.
“I made it unequivocally clear that I would do everything in my power to return every stolen dollar possible to the rightful owners — and that is what I, along with our federal partners, am doing,” Spitzer said in a statement.
The county has submitted paperwork to obtain the initial $3.7 million, which Spitzer said came from the seizure and forfeiture of more than $2.4 million from two bank accounts; $378,247 from the sale of a Tustin house purchased for Do’s daughter, Rhiannon; and $893,665 from the sale of property in Santa Ana.
A federal and local investigation found that instead of helping feed people, the majority of the COVID funds allocated by the county were used to make lavish purchases and buy real estate, the DA’s news release said.
A new audit commissioned by the county and released this week said that Do and his chief of staff pushed through other lucrative deals with more county vendors affiliated with Do.
Spitzer said his office, as well as federal agents, are scrutinizing those deals to determine whether there was any criminal activity or any funding that should be seized back.
The audit, the first of four phases, concluded that Do and his right-hand man, Chris Wangsaporn, bullied county staff into approving contracts and payments to companies despite concerns about the firms’ practices. Wangsaporn, who did not return calls this week, has not been charged with anything.
Do is currently serving a five-year prison sentence following his guilty plea in October 2024 to accepting bribes to steer more than $10 million in pandemic relief funds to certain nonprofits, primarily Viet America Society, which employed Rhiannon Do as a condition.
Roughly $1 million was earmarked for a Vietnam War memorial that was never completed and was torn down this month.
While representing Orange County’s First District, Do directed contracts to Viet America Society and Hand-to-Hand Relief Organization Inc. The former kicked money back to Do through wage payments to his daughter.
Much of the money came from district discretionary funds. Of the $9.3 million allocated by Do to Viet America Society for the county meals program, only $1.4 million was spent on the meals, according to Do’s plea agreement.
Rhiannon Do received most of the bribes via a high-paying job at Viet America Society and $350,000 for a down payment on a $1 million North Tustin home. Do’s other daughter received $100,000 that were bribes to him.
Rhiannon Do was not charged; prosecutors allowed her to enter into a diversion agreement.
Two other co-conspirators have been indicted, and there is an active federal warrant for Viet America Society CEO Peter Pham.
In August 2024, the county sued Viet America Society and some associates, including Pham and Rhiannon Do, to recoup more than $10 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Andrew Do was later added, and the case is currently pending.
Staff writer Claire Wang contributed to this story.