2 weeks Ago
I’m dreading the date of June 9.That’s when former Supervisor Andrew Do will be sentenced to a scant five years for wreaking havoc on Orange County’s finances by directing more than $10 million to a charity affiliated with his daughter. He’s getting preferential treatment – the prison term should be way more than this.
How do I explain to my constituents and everyone else that Lady Justice is supposed to be blind but she can see when it involves elected officials? That elected officials have a higher fiduciary duty than the rest of the public, but can get away with crimes? Do is also a former prosecutor. If this sentencing goes through as planned, Do will have won – proving that crime really does pay in the millions. He gets a light sentence and the county will receive only a small portion of the restitution, if any.
I’m not involved in prosecutorial decisions, but from the outside it appears that Do is getting a sweetheart deal while his daughter Rhiannon Do receives a “get out of jail free” card. This doesn’t seem like justice and sets a dangerous precedent.I am calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi and US Attorney Bill Essayli to review and reassess the plea bargain.
The US Attorney’s Office has already assigned a new federal prosecution team to work this case. They need to keep digging and will likely find much more evidence than what they used in their initial criminal plea last fall. And we haven’t heard from the IRS, who could charge Do with filing a fraudulent tax return.
He was allowed to plead guilty to a single bribery conspiracy count of receiving more than $700,000 while orchestrating an elaborate scheme to enrich his family and friends. In addition to this, I’ve found questionable discretionary fund expenditures that have not been reviewed by the federal government. The county still must conduct a forensic audit of thousands of questionable contracts.
Do stole funds meant to feed needy seniors during COVID. The money was used to help buy houses for his daughter and co-conspirators, while seniors went hungry. I am now at the Board of Supervisors and will spend all my effort to uncover any additional fraud caused by Andrew Do and his allies and return the funds to those in need within my district.
We now have President Trump and a new Justice Department. From what I see, they aren’t messing around – arresting criminals appears to be one of their primary missions and that there should only be a one-tier justice system in our nation. Let’s start with Orange County and one of the worst cases of fraud by a public official in history.
Do had an intricate scam that looped in Peter Pham with a front organization that was awarded COVID funds. Pham and his various non-profits contracted to produce senior meals, construct a Vietnam War memorial, manage community events, and provide healthcare services. None of these were delivered.
Other federal corruption and financial fraud cases show the disparity of Do’s plea deal: Former Mayor of Lynwood Paul Richards, sentenced to nearly 16 years for funneling millions in consulting contracts to a company he controlledFormer Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, Raymond She Wah Chan, sentenced to 12 years for accepting over $750,000 in bribes Rami Saab, sentenced to 10 years for fraudulently obtaining $9.6 million in COVID relief fundsTerrence L. Pounds, sentenced to 7.
8 years for defrauding over $4.2 million in SBA loansChristopher John Badsey, sentenced to 7.25 years for defrauding victims out of nearly $3 million during the pandemicThe County of Orange is also suing Do, Rhiannon Do, Pham, and others to recoup millions of dollars.
Viet America Society, a Pham charity, has failed to provide evidence that they complied with their various County contracts. The U.S.
government needs to do the right thing and end the two-tiered justice system. This is a policy that President Trump and his top Justice Department officials have repeatedly stated and it’s a good one. Janet Nguyen serves on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
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