Orange County officials Monday released results of an audit that showed former Supervisor Andrew Do, who is serving time in federal prison for bribery, steered contracts to supporters, prompting a recommendation to tighten up scrutiny and policies regarding the discretionary spending of supervisors.
The supervisors moved in December 2024 for a forensic audit to analyze county contracts from January 2019 and August 2024. Weaver and Tidwell released its first phase of the independent forensic audit, which focused on dozens of contracts tied to Do and his friend, Peter Pham, who has been indicted by federal prosecutors, but has not been arrested.
Orange County Board Chairman Doug Chaffee told City News Service that he suspects the county may want to go along with the second phase of the audit, but wondered how much more digging would be worth it.
“Do we go further? How deep do we go into it,” Chaffee said. “The next batch (of contracts) is hundreds more. I think we have to decide how far do we want to go and what do you want to do.”
Chaffee said officials have already “tightened up” spending policies in the wake of the Do scandal.
“We’ve already tightened up procurement policies,” Chaffee said.
A deeper dive into the contracts is “costly, and there’s no way of recouping anything more from Do.”
The audit “confirms that there were some unethical wheeling and dealing,” Chaffee said.
If officials find some vendor was conspiring to procure contracts illegally then the county might be able to recoup some money from them, Chaffee said.
“But I don’t want to go endlessly spending taxpayer money if there’s no way of recovering it,” Chaffee said.
Do’s attorney, Paul Meyer, said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the audit at this time.
Board Vice Chair Katrina Foley said the audit was meant to “protect taxpayers and regard their trust.”
“As expected, the most recent audit again exposes Andrew Do for habitually using his position of power to financially reward family, friends and donors through crony capitalist contracts at the expense of Orange County taxpayers,” Foley added.
Foley said the county’s changes in policy work to increase “competitive bidding and reduce opportunities for corruption.”
Foley said the county “continues to investigate and uncover rampant corruption from the First District former supervisor and his staff, including — advanced lump sum payments to friends and family for reckless self-promotion, intentional undermining of independent procurement processes, and shady contributions directed to businesses and fake `nonprofits’ for the personal benefit of Do’s insiders rather than the public.”
Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who used to employ Do as chief of staff until the two had a political falling out, said in a written statement:
“For years I have known that Andrew Do was a criminal, acting as the Godfather of Little Saigon — strongarming political opponents and pressuring his minions to do more. Now the county has evidence of all of it and I’m hoping the federal (Department of Justice), FBI, state Attorney General, the District Attorney and the (Fair Political Practices Commission) investigate.”
Nguyen added that “Andrew Do is the poster child for why people don’t trust the government. He’s given a permanent black eye to this great county and made District 1 constituents suffer.”
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said the audit confirms “an environment of corruption around former Supervisor Do’s office, starting as early as 2019. The findings showed the bullying tactics and a culture that allowed Andrew Do to benefit his family and friends with special treatment and dollars at the expense of county residents.”
Sarmiento added, “Unfortunately, the fact that management at the county did not come forward to push back against the former supervisor show the need for stronger ethics reforms and additional whistleblower protections for rank-and-file employees.”
Do was sentenced in June of last year to five years in federal prison.
Do admitted in his plea agreement that in exchange for more than $550,000 in bribes, he cast votes on the Board of Supervisors beginning in 2020 that directed more than $10 million in COVID-19 relief funds to the Viet America Society, where his daughter Rhiannon worked, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
From 2021 to 2023, Do funneled more than $10 million in county contracts to the society, prosecutors said. The money was part of a food-delivery program during the pandemic as well as a $1 million grant for a Vietnam War Memorial in Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, prosecutors said.
Rhiannon worked for the society and was paid $8,000 monthly between September 2021 and February 2024, for a total of $224,000, prosecutors said. Rhiannon Do was placed in a diversion program as part of the plea deal.
In July 2023, $381,500 from the society was put in escrow so Rhiannon Do could buy a $1.035 million house in Tustin, prosecutors said. Do’s other daughter received $100,000 in October 2022, prosecutors said.
Do used $14,849 of the money to pay property tax for two properties in Orange County that he owned with his wife, Orange County Superior Court Judge Cheri Pham, prosecutors said. Do used another $15,000 to pay off credit card debt, prosecutors said.
Do’s friend Peter Pham, who ran the Viet America Society, was also indicted on single counts each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud bribery and six counts each of wire fraud and concealment of money laundering. Pham’s whereabouts are unknown and federal prosecutors say he is considered a fugitive.