Catch up on the Andrew Do conspiracy saga in Orange County and LAist's role in exposing it

Andrew Do resigned his position as an Orange County supervisor Tuesday, shortly after federal prosecutors said the longtime elected official had agreed to plead guilty in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars meant to feed needy seniors.

Prosecutors acknowledged that their investigation was sparked by media reports. Last November, LAist was the first to report on possible misuse of the funds and has been publishing a series of ongoing investigative articles since then.

What's the backstory?

LAist uncovered more than $13 million in public funds directed by Do to Viet America Society, or VAS, most of which was awarded outside of public view and without Do disclosing that his daughter, Rhiannon Do, worked as a leader there. Most of that money came from federal COVID relief funds earmarked to help people during the pandemic.

In December, LAist also uncovered that the nonprofit had failed to follow requirements to disclose how many meals it was providing or to account for the money with required audits. Records show Andrew Do went on to grant the group millions more dollars after staff noted VAS was out of compliance in accounting for the money.

In revealing their findings Tuesday, prosecutors said of the $9.3 million in taxpayer dollars that were supposed to feed people, only 15% went to people in need.

After LAist's reporting, the county demanded the records from VAS and determined in July that the nonprofit had failed many opportunities to disclose them.

The county then filed a pair of lawsuits in August, alleging Rhiannon Do and other defendants “brazenly plundered” public funds to purchase multiple homes in Orange County. A few days later, the FBI and IRS searched homes owned by Rhiannon Do, Andrew Do and VAS' founder Peter Pham. At the time, federal authorities declined to say what the searches were about, citing a court seal on the warrants.

LAist uncovered this story by poring through thousands of public records. Those records detail a complicated series of large transactions, many of them unexplained, by officials at VAS.

Here’s what you need to know to stay on top of the story:

O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do has allocated millions of county dollars to his daughter’s group, Warner Wellness Center, without publicly disclosing his family connection.

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Supervisor Andrew Do’s official Facebook page

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Who is Andrew Do?

First, some background: Andrew Do was one of the highest-ranking elected officials in Orange County. He was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors from District 1, which encompasses cities like Garden Grove and Westminster. The area includes Little Saigon, home of one of the largest Vietnamese populations outside of Vietnam. Until early 2022, his district included Santa Ana. He represented about 600,000 people.

Do took home about $237,000 in pay and benefits for his role as county supervisor in 2023, according to public data on Transparent California’s website. In recent years, he also has had a private law office business, based down the hallway from VAS' office in Huntington Beach.

He had served on the board since 2015. Prior to his resignation, he was scheduled to term out at the end of the year.

Do previously served as a prosecutor at the Orange County District Attorney’s office and as a council member in Garden Grove. He was also the first Vietnamese American to serve as board chair of Orange County’s public health insurance agency, CalOptima. This was while he was supervisor, before he resigned from CalOptima’s board in 2023. His resignation from that board followed a state investigation into hiring and pay practices during his time as chair.

Do is married to Cheri Pham, the assistant presiding judge of the Orange County Superior Court. They have two daughters.

After the first LAist stories published late last year, then-Supervisor Andrew Do wrote an op-ed published in the Orange County Register defending himself and disparaging LAist’s reporting. Then, in a news release on county letterhead, he called on LAist leaders to fire Nick Gerda, our reporter who broke the story. Gerda never stopped reporting.

To date, Do has not responded to LAist’s repeated requests for comment since last November. He has never requested a correction or a retraction.

In a statement Tuesday after the criminal plea deal was announced, Do's attorney said the former supervisor apologizes to the people he represented.

"It is appropriate to convey Andrew Do’s sincere apology and deep sadness to his family, to his constituents in District One and to his colleagues," his attorney, Paul Meyer, said in a statement.

What are the details of the plea deal?

Do agreed to plead guilty and signed a plea agreement to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. He acknowledged accepting over $550,000 in bribes for directing and voting in favor of more than $10 million in COVID funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter, Rhiannon Do, according to a U.S. attorney's office news release.

Andrew Do admitted in his plea agreement that $381,500 in public funds were transferred to an escrow company and used by Rhiannon Do to purchase a million-dollar home in Tustin. Investigators said the daughter had admitted to criminal wrongdoing and agreed to cooperate with investigators, in what is known as a diversion agreement.

She does not face criminal charges at this time.

Prosecutors also released details about their findings:

The scene Tuesday at the O.C. Board of Supervisors' regular meeting where Andrew Do was absent.

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Nick Gerda

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LAist

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What is a county supervisor?

The county supervisors are some of the most powerful people in Orange County, deciding on how to spend about $9 billion each year on key government services like public health, mental health, law enforcement and child protective services. The board has five seats, and after Andrew Do's resignation, four seats are currently occupied.

The supervisors also decide how much funding goes to things like health and homeless services versus local law enforcement agencies — like the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office — and can influence how that money gets spent by those agencies.

Supervisors are elected to four-year terms and they can’t serve more than two full terms, which is why Andrew Do was ineligible to run again this year. His final term was set to expire in January.

O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do (center left) in December 2023 with his daughter Rhiannon Do (right) and wife Cheri Pham (between them), the assistant presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court.

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Screenshot of a public video posted by Do’s official YouTube channel

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Who is Rhiannon Do?

Rhiannon Do is Andrew Do’s 23-year-old daughter. She is a third-year law student at University of California, Irvine. She graduated from high school four years ago and then earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Davis in December 2021.

While at UC Davis, she was a legislative intern at the Steinberg Institute, which advocates for statewide mental health policy changes. She also was an intern at the Orange County District Attorney's Office from January to April of this year.

LAist has found at least 10 public records, including contracts she signed and a tax filing, listing Rhiannon Do in top leadership roles at VAS. Last year, she also submitted a resume for an internship at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that says she was president and cofounder of Warner Wellness Center, which is a second name used by VAS.

In a brief email exchange in April, Rhiannon Do told LAist she never served as a director or an officer with VAS and had no role in its finances.

She did not respond to questions about why the records, some with her signature, show otherwise.

Do described her role as limited to mental health services and a different meals program than the one under scrutiny. At the time, a VAS attorney attributed the listings of Rhiannon Do in leadership positions to “sloppiness” and “negligence."

State law does not currently require elected officials to disclose family relationships — nor refrain from voting — when awarding taxpayer money to their adult children. It does require disclosure for spouses and minor children.

Three state laws inspired by LAist reporting have now been signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to tighten ethics standards. Two go into effect Jan. 1 and the third — the strongest legislation — takes effect in early 2026.

Who is Andrew Do's other daughter?

On Tuesday, prosecutors said another of Andrew Do’s daughters received more than $100,000 in taxpayer money as part of the bribery scheme. They declined to name her and did not announce any legal action against her.

Andrew Do is known to have one other daughter besides Rhiannon Do. Her name is Ilene Do. She's a customer engagement coordinator at Moulton Niguel Water District where Andrew Do's former chief of staff Brian Probolsky is an elected board member and vice president.

What is Viet America Society?

Viet America Society is a nonprofit incorporated by Peter Pham in June 2020, eight days after Andrew Do and the other supervisors voted to create a pandemic meals program for their districts. In a tax filing for 2022, the latest available, the organization’s mission is described as “Promoting Vietnamese cultures to the youths. Helping feed the elderly and poor. Provide mental health services to all.”

The nonprofit has also used the name Warner Wellness Center to do business.

VAS and Warner Wellness Center both had offices in Huntington Beach in the same building as Andrew Do’s private law office. Peter Pham was seen emptying furniture out of the Warner Wellness Center suite last month, according to eyewitnesses and photos provided to LAist. VAS’ office suite is now rented to another business.

Peter Pham, founder of Viet America Society, is at far left. Dinh Mai, VAS' secretary, is at far right of the back row of people. Former Supervisor Andrew Do is second from left in the first row and he is seated with his wife, Cheri Pham, the now assistant presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court, in the center. The others pictured do not have any known connection to the allegations of wrongdoing.

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Courtesy Nguoi Viet

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One of the lawsuits filed in August by Orange County officials alleges more than $13 million in public funds Andrew Do directed to the nonprofit were “brazenly plundered” by four named defendants — Rhiannon Do, VAS founder Peter Pham, Dinh Mai, VAS' chief financial officer, and Thu Thao Thi Vu — as well as VAS, and Vu’s company, Aloha Financial Investment, Inc., among other entities.

The lawsuit alleges defendants used the money for private gain, including home purchases. In August, federal authorities froze the bank accounts of VAS, according to the nonprofit's attorney.

The civil lawyer for Rhiannon Do, VAS, Peter Pham and Dinh Mai told the judge in the lawsuit case that his clients maintain they've done nothing wrong.

What are federal COVID relief dollars?

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, known as ARPA, was a $1.9 trillion stimulus package intended to boost the American economy as it was devastated by COVID-19 shutdowns. Funds were distributed to state, territorial, local, and tribal governments to support recovery effects.

Local governments, like the Orange County Board of Supervisors, were able to use that money to offset revenue losses, to address health and economic needs of residents and to improve water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.

Andrew Do awarded VAS millions in ARPA dollars, as well as millions from an earlier round of federal COVID funding that came to the county, known as the CARES Act.

What happened to the money Andrew Do directed to VAS?

Federal authorities now say of the $9.3 million intended to help feed needy seniors and others in the pandemic, just 15% went to that purpose. They say some of those funds were used to buy a house for Rhiannon Do.

Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing. Millions of public dollars remain unaccounted for.

O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do (right) with Viet America Society founder Peter Pham (left) in a video posted by Do’s official YouTube account.

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Supervisor Andrew Do, screenshot via YouTube

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What does a Vietnam war memorial have to do with COVID relief funding?

Among federal COVID relief money Do directed to VAS was $1 million in October 2023 to design, build and maintain a Vietnam War memorial at the county's Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley. That money was at Andrew Do's discretion to award.

LAist has found that work on that site remains incomplete.

O.C. officials in early August demanded VAS refund any money not spent on purposes required by existing county contracts — and then sued on Aug. 15.

Where things stand at the Vietnam War memorial in Orange County.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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VAS then returned $150,000 of the $1 million, which Mark Rosen, VAS’ attorney, said accounted for any unspent remaining funds. That left $850,000 the county paid to VAS for the project, which has not been returned.

An architect who visited the memorial with LAist estimated it cost, at most, $185,000.

LAist took a hard look at why there are starkly different versions of where the memorial stands, and how those public funds to build it were used.

OC’s $1 million Vietnam War memorial is unfinished — and embroiled in a fraud lawsuit

What's next?

Andrew Do resigned shortly after his plea agreement was announced. Orange County Supervisors Board Chair Don Wagner will oversee District 1 duties until a new supervisor is elected in the upcoming elections, according to a county spokesperson.

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Do will have to appear in court at some point to enter the guilty plea. He faces a possible five-year prison term. A court date has not yet been set, but is expected later this month.

What are supervisors saying?

In a joint statement, the four remaining board members reacted separately to Andrew Do's resignation and plea agreement.

Wagner thanked federal investigators and added that the county's lawsuits remain active. "The county remains committed to continuing its civil lawsuits in order to hold all responsible parties accountable and to recover misused public funds," he said.

Wagner previously said Do's granting of millions to his daughter’s group should not be questioned or challenged "because there's nothing illegal about what was done."

Supervisor Doug Chaffee called it "a troubling moment for our county."

"It's disheartening to witness a betrayal of public trust by someone in a position of responsibility," he said. "This highlights the critical need for ethical leadership. The Board remains dedicated to serving the people with integrity."

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento noted the investigation continues. "The unsealing of the indictments demonstrates years of unethical and illegal acts that directly harmed the most vulnerable in our county," he said. "We must not discontinue the investigations until all parties involved are brought to justice, and the systemic problems that led to these abuses are reformed."

And Supervisor Katrina Foley expressed disgust at what she called "the staggering level of corruption, greed, and deception described in the unsealed federal indictment."

"Andrew Do and his associates carried out an overt scheme to enrich themselves off our hard-earned tax dollars," she said. "Andrew Do must pay for his crimes. This board is united in continuing to do the people's business of governing and moving forward from this dark day in Orange County."

What does Do's resignation mean for county business?

Agenda items could be delayed to later meeting dates if not enough board members are present for a vote. For most items, at least three supervisors are required to approve an agenda item in the affirmative.

Given the makeup of the board, having only four members present means decisions can result in a stalemate, as happened this summer when Do was absent for an affordable housing-related vote.

LAist's watchdog role in the investigation

In November 2023, LAist began investigating how millions in public taxpayer dollars were spent. In total, LAist uncovered public records showing more than $13 million in public money that was approved to VAS, which was led on and off by Rhiannon Do.

Most of that money was directed to the group by Andrew Do outside of the public’s view. It never appeared on public meeting agendas.

He did not publicly disclose his family ties.

Much of the known funding came from federal coronavirus relief money.

• Read the story that launched the investigation here.
• Since LAist started reporting, we’ve also uncovered the group was two years overdue in completing a required audit into whether the meal funds were spent appropriately.
• And LAist found the amount of taxpayer money directed to the nonprofit was much larger than initially known. It totals at least $13.5 million in county funding — tallied from government records obtained and published by LAist. 
• After our reporting, O.C. officials wrote demand letters to the nonprofit saying millions in funding were unaccounted for. They warned the nonprofit that it could be forced to repay the funds.
• And, LAist found the nonprofit missed a deadline set by county officials to provide proof about how funding for meals were spent.
• On Aug. 2, LAist reported O.C. officials were demanding the refund of more than $3 million in public funds awarded by Andrew Do to VAS and another nonprofit, Hand to Hand.
• Six days later, LAist reported Orange County officials had expanded demands for refunds of millions in tax dollars from the nonprofits and threatened legal action.
• On Aug. 15, LAist reported O.C. officials sued VAS and its key officers and associated businesses, including Rhiannon Do. The lawsuit alleges that county money was illegally used to purchase five homes and was converted into cash through ATM transactions. 
• Then, on Aug. 19, LAist reported O.C. officials had announced a second lawsuit against Hand to Hand and its CEO to recover millions of taxpayer dollars that were directed by Andrew Do.
• LAist broke the news on Aug. 22 that federal agents were searching Rhiannon Do's home in Tustin. Later that day, Andrew Do's home, and other properties, were also searched.

How to watchdog local government

One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention.

Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community.

• Read tips on how to get involved.
• The next scheduled board meeting was Tuesday, Nov. 5. You can check out the O.C. Board of Supervisors full calendar here.
• Learn how to submit a public comment to the O.C. Board of Supervisors.

Nick Gerda spoke with Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido about the ongoing investigation. Listen to the Imperfect Paradise episode here:

Listen • 38:22

Listen • 38:22

OC Supervisor Andrew Do to plead guilty to corruption charge following LAist investigation

An LAist investigation uncovered more than $13 million in public funds directed by Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to Viet America Society (VAS) without disclosing his daughter was a leader at the nonprofit. County officials now allege that money was “brazenly plundered” for personal gain. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido speaks with LAist correspondent Nick Gerda, who broke the story, about the ongoing investigation.