Man Convicted of Illegally Reimbursing Campaign Contributors Over $13,000

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
PRESS RELEASE

TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 15CM11398
Date: February 5, 2016

MAN CONVICTED OF ILLEGALLY REIMBURSING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTORS OVER $13,000

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted and sentenced today for illegally reimbursing contributors for Janet Nguyen’s 2012 Orange County Board of Supervisors election campaign. Son Truong Nguyen, 39, Fountain Valley, pleaded guilty today to 10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful contribution. He was sentenced to three years of informal probation, must contribute $5,000 to Victim Witness Emergency Fund, perform 40 hours of community service in lieu of jail, and is prohibited from being involved in any political campaigns during the duration of his probation. He is also required to pay a $20,000 fine to the General Fund of the State of California within three months of his plea date to resolve the Fair Political Practices Commission’s (FPPC) proactive investigation.

Between Nov. 2, 2011, and Jan. 30, 2012, Son Nguyen illegally reimbursed campaign contributors for Janet Nguyen’s 2012 Orange County Board of Supervisors election on 10 different occasions. He reimbursed a total of $13,300.

The FPPC and Orange County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation investigated this case following the 2012 election.

“We are pleased to present the findings from our joint investigation involving laundered campaign contributions,” said FPPC Chief of Enforcement Galena West. “Working cooperatively with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office allows us to combine our resources and expeditiously prosecute violations.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nichols of the Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted this case.

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