A 38-year-old Fountain Valley man faces multiple misdemeanor charges of illegally reimbursing people after making campaign contributions in their names, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Son Truong Nguyen allegedly told eight people and one business that if they made contributions to Janet Nguyen’s re-election to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2012, he would reimburse them, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nichols. Nguyen, who is not related to Janet Nguyen, allegedly reimbursed the donors a total of $13,300, Nichols said.
“It’s illegal to reimburse someone for contributing to a campaign,” Nichols told City News Service.
There is no evidence to date Nguyen had any connection to the campaign of Nguyen, who is now a state senator. Investigators are uncertain why the defendant allegedly sought contributions for Janet Nguyen’s campaign, Nicols said.
Son Truong Nguyen is accused of making the reimbursements between Nov. 2, 2011 and Jan. 30, 2012, Nichols said.
He was charged last Wednesday with 10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful contribution and faces up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted.
— Wire reports