Nursing student Jessica Lam, right, administers a COVID-19 test inside Milford High School in Milford, Massachusetts on Dec. 18, 2020.
Santa Ana, California – The founder of a shuttered nonprofit and an alleged co-conspirator have been indicted on a series of federal charges accusing them of bribing former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Hoang Do to steer $12 million in COVID-19 relief funds into their hands during the height of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Peter Anh Pham, 65, of Garden Grove, and Thanh Huong Nguyen, 61, of Santa Ana, are facing charges ranging from wire fraud to money laundering and bribery, with prosecutors alleging that they exploited emergency public health funding meant to aid vulnerable communities. Pham, currently a fugitive, founded the nonprofit Viet America Society (VAS) days after Do approved a $5 million allocation to a county nutrition program. The indictment alleges that he, along with Nguyen’s organization Hand-to-Hand Relief (H2H), diverted millions of public dollars into personal accounts, real estate, and debt repayments.
At the center of the case is Andrew Do, who served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 2015 until his resignation in October 2024. He pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit bribery and is expected to be sentenced on June 9. Prosecutors say Do used his influence and budgetary authority to direct funds to VAS and H2H in exchange for bribes masked as payments to his daughters and associates.
“These two defendants are charged with conspiring with a corrupt politician to pad their pockets while the nation suffered,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer added, “Today’s indictments are another critical step in ensuring accountability.”
According to court documents, the scheme began in June 2020. Do used his power to authorize funds without board oversight, facilitating contracts that falsely claimed funds would be used for COVID-19 response. In reality, the money funded luxury purchases and personal favors. To conceal the fraud, the conspirators laundered funds through a Westminster-based HVAC company, disguising payments as consulting fees and reimbursement checks.
Prosecutors also allege that Do’s chief of staff was instrumental in altering contract language to benefit Pham and Nguyen and that he facilitated payments to his eventual wife under the guise of consulting work.
If convicted, Pham and Nguyen each face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering. Pham faces an additional 10 years for bribery.
