Starter home vibes at open house for $1.3M North Tustin home at center of a corruption scheme

Candeda Place in North Tustin is like any other street in suburbia. On a sweltering Sunday, children ride their scooters on the street, one neighbor prunes bushes in their front yard, and another tinkers in their garage. Everyone is on a first name basis.

But one house stands out.

That home, and its fresh coat of gray paint, is at the heart of a corruption scandal that rocked Orange County: Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do was caught buying it by using taxpayer funds meant to feed needy seniors.

Do was recently sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the elaborate scheme that saw him accepting bribes in exchange for directing more than $10 million in public contracts to a nonprofit group with ties to his daughter. The bribes were then routed through his adult daughters, according to Do’s plea agreement, and included a down payment on the Candeda Place home for his youngest, Rhiannon Do. U.S. officials seized that home in July and several other properties and accounts associated with the corruption scheme.

Now, that home is up for sale by the government, with the proceeds being used as restitution.

LAist was the first to report on Do quietly routing the money away from the public’s eye to the nonprofit.

Carol Ko, who lives nearby, followed the story on LAist and came out on Sunday to the first open house.

She was not impressed.

“ I was kind of surprised how generic it kind of was,” she said. “I would say it doesn't seem like they really got what they paid for — or I should say what we paid for.”

The open house was slow, with only two other potential buyers showing up during the time LAist reporters were present. Neighbors checked out the home too.

About the home

Listed at just under $1.3 million, the 1,736-square-foot home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It gives off “starter home” vibes even as it underscores the harsh reality of the Southern California real estate market.

Neighbors reported that work crews have been coming by regularly over the past three weeks.

“They've done quite a bit of renovation on the house,” said Larry Thomas, who lives next door to the home. “They've had construction guys come by. It looks like they're doing a fair bit of drywall work. They repainted the inside, the outside of the house. They've done quite a bit of outside work as well, landscaping.”

Despite its $1.3 million asking price, the three-bed, two-bath house gives off "starter home" vibes.

(

Yusra Farzan

/

LAist

)

The home includes an entertainment room and two living rooms. The galley-style kitchen comes with hardwood cabinets.

In the front of the home, clerestory windows let natural light into the master bedroom while affording privacy. The back of the home opens onto a spacious yard. The lot is 7,208 square feet.

The home also has an attic and, according to the Zillow listing, has been freshly painted inside and out.

A local real estate agent handling the sale for the U.S. government was present at the open house but declined to comment for this article.

Hopes for the home

Ko, who lives nearby, said, “ I really hope that whoever does end up with the house is someone who intends to stay and live and work in the area.”

Thomas, the neighbor who lives next door to the home, also said he is also hoping for nice, friendly neighbors.

And everyone is hoping the sale will put an end to the lookie loos.

“I  had a lot of people drive by, just look at it and ask me, ‘Is that the Do house?’” Thomas said.