A year ago, Andrew Do called for LAist to fire our reporter. Catch up on what happened next

Today marks one year since former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do called for LAist reporter Nick Gerda to be fired.

At that point, Gerda had written three stories over four weeks about Do and his lack of transparency about family ties. At the center of that reporting: Do had quietly awarded millions to his daughter’s nonprofit, money that had since gone unaccounted for.

Federal and local prosecutors ultimately investigated the allegations first reported by LAist. In October, when Do pleaded guilty to a scheme to steal millions of those dollars that were meant to feed needy seniors, federal officials credited media reports for alerting them to the crimes.

Here are some key moments from our investigation.

A call to fire the reporter

The news release went out the morning of Dec. 20, 2023, in an email blast to reporters and posts on Do’s social media accounts.

Prominently featuring the county government’s logo, the release carried a headline in large, bolded capital letters:

“SUPERVISOR DO CALLS ON LAist TO FIRE REPORTER NICK GERDA.”

Do’s release falsely accused Gerda of using a forged tax document in his reporting. (Copies of the tax filings provided by the IRS showed LAist’s reporting about the document to be accurate.)

Do’s demand was issued in reaction to LAist’s latest article, which detailed how he awarded millions in taxpayer funds to his then-22-year-old daughter’s organization without disclosing his family connection.

Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do takes the oath of office from his wife, Cheri Pham, as he stands with his daughters, Ilene Do, center, and Rhiannon Do, right, during the start of the Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 3, 2015.

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Jeff Gritchen

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Orange County Register via Getty Images

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That article reported that Do’s daughter’s group had failed to submit required audits on how it spent millions of tax dollars he directed to it.

“This article, coupled with other ‘reporting’ by Gerda is unbelievably sloppy,” Do wrote. “The LAist needs to hold him to account for publishing falsified material and fire him immediately.”

Nick Gerda, a correspondent at LAist.

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Samanta Helou Hernandez

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LAist

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His allegations had to do with an erroneous date on a tax document, which was tied to what the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica told us was a “glitch” in how the IRS published its raw filings. LAist correctly reported the year as 2022. LAist never received a correction request or retraction demand from Do over the course of an investigation that spanned nearly a year. Over that same time, Do did not respond to LAist’s multiple requests for comment.

The Orange County Register editorial board and the Orange County Press Club — which issued a rare open letter — pushed back on Do’s statement and called on him to apologize.

First came the lawsuit

Gerda wasn’t fired. He continued to investigate Do with support from the newsroom’s leadership. His reporting went on to uncover that money directed to the nonprofit was much larger than previously known.

Following Gerda’s reporting, in February of 2024, Orange County officials wrote letters to Viet America Society (VAS), the nonprofit at the center of the LAist investigation with ties to Do’s daughter Rhiannon Do. The letters demanded proof that the nonprofit provided meals to the needy, and records showing what happened with taxpayer dollars.

An office suite in Huntington Beach for the nonprofit Viet America Society, shown in April 2024.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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After giving the nonprofit months of opportunities to provide required proof that the funds were used to feed the needy and demanding refunds, Orange County officials sued VAS. The lawsuit, filed in August, alleges that Rhiannon Do and other leaders of the nonprofit “brazenly plundered” millions of taxpayer dollars, using the funds for home purchases and other private gains. Some of the money, the lawsuit alleges, was converted to cash in ATM transactions.

Then came the federal searches

A week after the lawsuit was filed, agents with the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation division and the U.S. Attorney’s office searched multiple properties.

Law enforcement at a home owned by Rhiannon Do in Tustin on Aug, 22, 2024.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

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LAist

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The homes searched included:

• Rhiannon Do’s Tustin home
• A North Tustin family home that real estate records show is owned by Andrew Do and his wife Cheri Pham, an assistant presiding judge for Orange County Superior Court 
• A Garden Grove home that public records show is owned by Peter Pham, the founder of VAS
• A Fountain Valley home that government filings show is the business address for VAS

Perfume River Restaurant, located in the Asian Garden Mall in Westminster, was also searched. Financial records obtained by LAist show that a large portion of county funds sent to VAS were routed to Perfume River Restaurant in Westminster.

The Perfume River Restaurant & Lounge inside of the Asian Garden shopping mall, also known as Phước Lộc Thọ, in Westminster.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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County reforms and state law changes

Following the FBI and IRS searches of properties, Andrew Do stopped attending Board of Supervisor meetings. The searches and lawsuit prompted Orange County supervisors to request internal and external forensic audits for county contracts funded with COVID-19 relief dollars.

Supervisors’ also voted in September to update their policies to bring the county in line with AB 3130. The new bill, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will require county supervisors across the state to disclose any family ties they have to a nonprofit’s employees or officers before awarding any contracts. It goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

It’s one of several new state laws inspired by LAist’s reporting. Another law will require a majority vote by the Orange County Board of Supervisors before discretionary funds are awarded to a nonprofit or community group. The supervisors will also be required to post details of how the money was spent online. That goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Also going into effect the following year on Jan. 1, 2026, is Senate Bill 1111. That new law will make it a crime in California for elected officials to be involved in awarding government contracts to organizations if they know their child is an officer or director of the vendor, or has at least 10% ownership.

The guilty plea

In October, Andrew Do resigned as Orange County supervisor and agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars meant to feed needy seniors.

The criminal charges and plea deal were announced by U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, who said that out of $9.3 million in taxpayer dollars that were supposed to feed people, only 15% went to people in need.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announces charges against former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Andrew Do now faces up to five years in prison, though the judge has said he will make up his own mind about the punishment and doesn’t have to follow the plea agreement.

Andrew Do is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31.

LAist’s watchdog role continues

Gerda and the LAist staff have continued their watchdog role. LAist reporting has uncovered over a quarter million in mental health money public dollars that were routed from the county through a nonprofit to Andrew Do’s chief of staff’s longtime partner and now-wife, despite none of the required work product being turned in to the county.

Multiple sources told LAist that Andrew Do had requested she be hired for the job.

Citing LAist’s reporting, the county demanded a full refund from the nonprofit, which then paid the money back.

LAist reporter Nick Gerda contributed to this story.