Ex-Orange County Official Sentenced for COVID Bribery Scheme

A former Orange County supervisor has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes in exchange for directing COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter.

Andrew Hoang Do, 62, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. He was sentenced by United States District Judge James V. Selna on [undisclosed date] in Santa Ana, California.

Do was one of five supervisors on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which is responsible for the county’s $9 billion annual budget. As supervisor for the First District, Do represented the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, and Westminster.

Beginning in 2020, Do voted in favor of and directed millions of dollars in COVID-related funds to the Viet America Society (VAS), a charity affiliated with his daughter. Do directed and worked together with other county employees to approve contracts with – and payments to – VAS. Do further admitted he acted corruptly and abused his position of trust as a county supervisor.

The investigation found that VAS from April 2021 to February 2024 paid a business identified in court documents as “Company #1” $100,000 or more per month, which totaled approximately $3,804,000. In September 2021, VAS increased its payments to Company #1 from $100,000 to $108,000 per month. Company #1 then began paying Rhiannon Do – Do’s daughter – $8,000 per month, totaling by February 2024 approximately $224,000.

Do was found to have abused his position to profit personally, taking in over $550,000 in bribes. His daughter, Rhiannon Do, used the funds to purchase a home in Tustin for $1,035,000 in July 2023. The mortgage for the home was obtained with false information and fabricated documents.

United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “Elected officials have a sworn duty to put their constituents’ interests ahead of their own. Public money intended to assist aging and ailing pandemic victims instead filled the coffers of Do, his family, and insiders. I commend our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their work on this important case and for helping to remove a corrupt politician from his seat of power.”

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer added, “As a county supervisor, Andrew Do transformed the County of Orange into an ATM available to his insiders, his loved ones, and himself, withdrawing millions of dollars to buy houses, lavish dinners, and expensive wine while the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable who depended on Andrew Do were left to fend for themselves.”

The FBI will continue to pursue corrupt public officials whose actions erode trust in government, according to Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

The restitution hearing for Andrew Hoang Do is scheduled for August 11.

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