Federal agents have raided homes connected to an Orange County supervisor’s daughter and the president of a local nonprofit that county attorneys allege were improperly purchased with taxpayer money.
The homes searched Thursday morning were connected to allegations made against Viet America Society, a nonprofit organization that Orange County contracted with to feed the elderly and needy during the pandemic, an FBI spokesperson confirmed.
The spokesperson said he could not confirm additional details of the search, including the number of locations involved in the investigation, because the search warrants were filed under seal.
Thursday’s searches came after Orange County filed lawsuits against Viet America Society and its executives, including the daughter of Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who worked with the organization.
In the lawsuit, the county attorneys accuse executives with the nonprofit, including its Chief Executive Peter Ahn Pham, Secretary Dinh Mai, and Do’s daughter, 23-year-old Rhiannon Do, of pocketing more than $10 million in contracts and using the funds to purchase homes in Garden Grove, Buena Park, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley and Tustin.
Among the homes being searched Thursday was a property in Tustin which, according to lawsuit, was purchased by the county supervisor’s daughter July 23, 2023. According to the real estate site Redfin, the home was bought for $1,035,000.
In a statement, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley praised the federal probe.
“Federal investigators answered our call to investigate the potential criminal activities by VAS and their principals,” the statement read. “The concerns raised by our County staff were clearly warranted, and I stand in support of all efforts to bring forward justice to our taxpayers.”