The daughter of an Orange County supervisor and a nonprofit are being sued by the county after they allegedly “brazenly plundered [tax dollars] for their own personal gain,” the suit claims.
The Viet America Society received as much as $13.5 million to help feed the elderly and those in need during the pandemic, but instead, the nonprofit’s executives “engaged in pervasive self-dealing, pocketing local and federal funds,” the suit says, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
This lawsuit comes after a lengthy series of investigations by LAist, which reports that one of the VAS executives, Rhiannon Do, is the daughter of Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, a connection that LAist reports remained undisclosed.
“[Rhiannon Do] had leading roles at VAS on and off during the time her father directed more than $13 million to the group, according to public records uncovered by LAist,” the outlet writes.
Rhiannon Do was also part of the alleged self-enrichment, the suit claims.
“It also accuses Rhiannon Do of benefiting from the alleged scheme and purchasing a million-dollar home in the process,” the Times reports.
Supervisor Do declined to comment to LAist, though the VAS’ attorney Mark Rosen called the lawsuit “a disgrace” said it’s politically motivated.