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County-commissioned audit: Former Supervisor Do, chief of staff forced through spending without oversight

March 9, 2026

Disgraced former Orange County First District Supervisor Andrew Do and his top lieutenant bullied county staff into approving contracts and payments to Do’s allies and campaign contributors beyond the $10 million that he was convicted of diverting, an audit has concluded.

The audit, commissioned last year by county supervisors and released Monday, March 9, said that Do and his chief of staff, Chris Wangsaporn, “established a culture where decisions related to District 1 contracts were not to be questioned.”

Do pleaded guilty in 2024 to steering $10 million in pandemic relief funds to charities he was affiliated with, primarily one that employed his daughter, in exchange for kickbacks. The new audit by accounting firm Weaver said he also forced payment to a firm that may have double-billed the county for COVID-19 testing and guided money to campaign contributors who worked on a Tet Festival sponsored by his office.

“For years I have known that Andrew Do was a criminal, acting as the Godfather of Little Saigon – strong-arming political opponents and pressuring his minions to do more. Now the county has evidence of all of it and I’m hoping the federal DOJ, FBI, state attorney general, the district attorney and the FPPC (California Fair Political Practices Commission) investigate,” said Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who was elected to replace Do on the board of supervisors.

“Every single person and business who participated in this fraud needs to be investigated and criminally charged if the evidence warrants it,” she said

Do amassed so much political power that he was able to subvert the county’s vetting and procurement processes, said the audit’s authors, and no one in authority appeared to question it. Do and his chief of staff would go over the heads of staff members who complained, the audit said.

“Contracts appeared to have been steered toward businesses that employed an immediate family member of Former Supervisor Do, businesses that contributed to his political campaigns shortly after being awarded a contract, businesses that provided a media platform for Former Supervisor Do, as well as businesses involved in various aspects of the Tet and Moon festivals put on each year for District 1 ‘constituents,’” the audit said.

For instance, sponsorship fees for the District 1-sponsored Tet and Moon festivals were not paid to the county, but to outside companies run by Do’s contributors, the audit said. One of those companies was run by Peter Pham, who has been charged by federal prosecutors with Do in the separate $10 million scheme defrauding the county.

Also, Do demanded that hundreds of thousands of dollars in pass-through grants to Garden Grove Community Foundation and Westminster Chamber of Commerce be steered by those organizations to firms controlled by Do’s allies, the audit said.

Do is currently serving a 5-year prison sentence following his guilty plea in October 2024 to accepting $550,000 in bribes to steer more than $10 million in pandemic relief funds to certain nonprofits, primarily Viet America Society, which employed his daughter, Rhiannon, as a condition. Do admitted to diverting money that was meant to feed the elderly and disabled through his county office.

Roughly $1 million was earmarked for an incomplete Vietnam War memorial that was torn down this month.

Wangsaporn could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday. The audit noted he did not respond to the auditors’ interview request.

While representing Orange County’s First District, Do directed contracts to the Viet America Society and Hand-to-Hand Relief Organization Inc., the former of which kicked money back to Do through payments to his daughter.

Much of the money came from district discretionary funds. Of the $9.3 million allocated by Do to Viet America Society for the county meals program, only $1.4 million was spent on the meals, according to Do’s plea agreement.

Rhiannon Do received most of the bribes via a high-paying job at Viet America Society and $350,000 for a down payment on a $1 million North Tustin home. Do’s other daughter received $100,000 from Viet America Society.

Rhiannon Do was not charged; prosecutors allowed her to enter into a diversion agreement.

In August 2024, the county sued Viet America Society and associates, including CEO Peter Pham and Rhiannon Do, to recoup more than $10 million in COVID relief funds. Andrew Do was later added and the case is currently pending.

Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley said the audit shows that Do “abused his position, manipulated county staff, and steered no bid contracts to his cronies and conspirators” at taxpayers’ expense.

“Orange County taxpayers must be made whole, and the county must implement additional safeguards recommended by the independent auditor to further protect taxpayers and prevent this type of misconduct from happening again,” Foley said in a statement. “Orange County residents deserve transparency, accountability, and their government to act swiftly to expose corruption at its root.”

This is a breaking story, please check back for updates.

Orange County Register

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County-commissioned audit: Former Supervisor Do, chief of staff forced through spending without oversight

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