The OC Board of Supervisors will consider on Tuesday, April 8, whether to urge U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and the Department of Justice to review and reassess the terms of former supervisor Andrew Do’s plea agreement and sentencing recommendation.
Do pleaded guilty in October to accepting bribes related to what federal prosecutors called a scheme to steal public funds. About $9.3 million in federal COVID relief dollars were granted by the county to the nonprofit Viet America Society, mostly at the direction of Do from his First District discretionary funds. The funding was meant to provide meals to the county’s elderly and people with disabilities, but of that, only an estimated $1.4 million was spent on the meals, according to his plea agreement.
Do pleaded guilty to accepting at least $550,000 in bribes to direct the dollars to the group.
“There is a strong concern that, as an elected official, Andrew Do received special treatment from the federal prosecutors, resulting in a single criminal charge that does not fully reflect the severity and extent of Do’s corrupt behavior,” says the memo from Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee and First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen requesting the board consider asking for the review of the plea agreement and sentencing.
There is no minimum amount of prison time outlined in the plea agreement Do signed, however, federal prosecutors previously said the bribery charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in federal prison and “there’s a good likelihood” that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will pursue that sentence. Do’s sentencing hearing before a judge is scheduled for June.
Also as part of his agreement, Do resigned from the Board of Supervisors in October.
His plea agreement, the supervisors’ memo said, “stands in stark contrast to harsher penalties imposed on others who committed similar crimes involving public funds and bribery.
The proposed resolution lists:
- Rami Saab, sentenced to 10 years for fraudulently obtaining $9.6 million in COVID relief funds
- Terrence L. Pounds, sentenced to 94 months for defrauding more than $4.2 million in SBA loans
- Christopher John Badsey, sentenced to 87 months for defrauding victims out of nearly $3 million during the pandemic
- Former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles Raymond She Wah Chan, sentenced to 12 years for accepting more than $750,000 in bribes
- Former Mayor of Lynwood Paul Richards, sentenced to nearly 16 years for funneling millions in consulting contracts to a company he controlled
The supervisors will also consider asking the DOJ to prosecute other individuals implicated in the scheme.
“The lack of further prosecutions against other individuals implicated in this scheme raises concerns about incomplete justice and the perception of unequal accountability,” the memo says.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.