Orange County Supervisor Andrew Dawe has agreed to resign and pleaded guilty to accepting more than $550,000 in bribes to give millions of dollars to a family-related nonprofit, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. It was announced on .
Doe, 62, a high-profile and influential figure in Orange County politics, voted to approve millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds to nonprofits without disclosing their contents. At one point, it had been under surveillance for months after the Oversight Board learned of it. Connected with my daughter.
“This funding was intended to provide meals to those in our community who need it most,” said U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada at a press conference Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana. “The plan essentially worked like Robin Hood in reverse.”
Instead, federal investigators say, Doe funneled some of the money to his family, enriching them and buying them a house in the county.
Mr. Do has been absent from supervisory board meetings for several months, and in August he gave an interview on a Vietnamese-language radio station in which he called the allegations against him and his family defamatory. However, in a short statement issued by his lawyer, Do apologized for his actions.
“Out of respect for the legal process, no statement is appropriate at this time,” Doe’s attorney, Paul S. Meyer, said in a statement. “However, it is appropriate to convey Andrew Doe’s heartfelt apologies and deep sorrow to his family, First District voters, and colleagues.”
Vicente Sarmiento, one of Mr. Do’s colleagues on the board, said he was not surprised to learn that Mr. Do had been indicted, but was happy to hear that Mr. Do had agreed to plead guilty and resign. said.
Although Do has only a few months left in his term, Sarmiento said the decision could help the county move forward. However, he added that Doe’s actions as a board member require further investigation.
“I don’t want it to end here,” Sarmiento said. “While we are certainly pleased with the speedy prosecution of this case, we urge both the local district attorney and the U.S. Attorney to continue investigating other individuals who may have facilitated this. sea bream.”
Sarmiento said the county has already directed staff to review other vendors and contracts used during the pandemic.
Tuesday’s announcement comes as LAist reported that Doe approved as much as $13.5 million in funding for the Viet America Society last year without disclosing that his daughter was affiliated with the organization. It’s the culmination of a scandal that first shocked Orange County supervisors.
In the months that followed, the county launched an audit of Viet America to examine the nonprofit and its failure to prove it was performing its contracted job of providing meals to seniors. After finding out, I requested a refund. And they are in trouble during a pandemic. The county filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit in August and condemned Do in September. Last week, Do’s chief of staff resigned after it was reported that his girlfriend worked for a nonprofit organization that received a lucrative contract from the county.
According to an indictment filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Dou solicited bribes in exchange for voting in favor of a deal that provided federal and state coronavirus relief funds to his co-conspirators. That’s what it means.
The federal indictment says the nonprofit gave the job to Dou’s daughter, Rhiannon, after he voted in favor of contracts with Viet America and others.
Records show Rhiannon Doe at one point signed a document identifying her as chairwoman.
The organization allegedly disguised the bribes as employment payments to Rhiannon Do.
At one point, the nonprofit was paying $100,000 a month to a company listed only as “Company No. 1” in court documents, authorities said. After Rhiannon Do joins the nonprofit organization, payments to Company #1 increase by $8,000. The company then turned around and paid her the money, authorities said.
In July 2023, the company transferred a total of $381,500 it received from Viet America to an escrow company to close on Rhiannon Doe’s Tustin home, officials said.
Andrew Do is also suspected of using his office to direct funds to his younger daughter, who received two payments in September and October 2022 from an air conditioning company paid for by the Viet America Association. He received $100,000, including two checks for $5,000.
So far, government officials have seized more than $2.4 million as part of the case, federal officials said.
The allegations and charges brought against Doe rocked Orange County politics.
Doug Chaffee, vice chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said Doe’s pleading guilty was the right thing to do, but it was also a “very unfortunate moment” that will harm the county in a way that “will be felt for some time.” said.
“It is unfortunate that someone entrusted with such responsibility would engage in conduct that undermines the integrity of the office,” Chaffee said in a statement.
County Supervisor Katrina Foley said Doe and those involved in the scheme must be held accountable.
“I am disgusted by the shocking level of corruption, greed, and deception described in the federal indictment,” Foley said in a statement. “Instead of being an example of what the American Dream can achieve, Andrew Doe dragged his family and colleagues into the American Nightmare.”
After the indictment was announced, Betrise, a nonprofit group serving the immigrant community in Orange County’s Little Saigon, praised the news.
“Mr. Doe is corrupt, greedy, and an elected official of ours who uses his political position to profit from the suffering of the most vulnerable in our communities,” the group said in a statement. He represents the worst kind of official ever.” “With seniors losing their lives to the pandemic and spending months worrying about their next meal, Do has capitalized on this crisis.”
“As millions of Americans died from COVID-19, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Doe was the personified fox in the henhouse,” Orange Township. Atty. Todd Spitzer, whose office worked with federal investigators on the case, said in a statement. “No one is above the law in Orange County. These charges are a reminder to elected officials everywhere that actions have consequences and that justice will be swift and decisive.” This should be a strong warning.”
As part of Doe’s plea agreement with federal officials, Rhiannon Doe will also enter into a diversion agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Rhiannon Do was charged with making false statements on loan applications, according to court filings. As part of the agreement, the charges were deferred and she agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their investigation and be supervised for three years.
She and her father agreed to forfeit all assets and funds obtained from Doe’s scheme, including the Tustin home.
Mr. Do could face up to five years in federal prison.
Until a new superintendent is elected, Board of Supervisors President Don Wagner will assume the duties of Do.
“I can tell you that I am extremely disappointed and angry that one of my colleagues has abused the public trust in this way,” he said. “I’m glad he quit.”
