The head of the now-defunct Westminster nonprofit that bribed former County Supervisor Andrew Do with over half a million dollars is now facing 15 criminal charges from federal prosecutors, who late Friday described him as a “fugitive from justice,” in their announcement of the case.
Peter Pham, the former head of the Viet America Society, is accused of pocketing most of the $12 million the nonprofit he led received via county contracts to feed the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside Thanh Nguyen, the former head of the Hand to Hand Relief Organization.
“After receiving county funds, Pham and Nguyen transferred most of the money to other entities they controlled,” prosecutors wrote in a Friday statement. “They then spent large portions of the funds to pay personal expenses such as rent and bills, to pay off debts owed by their other businesses, and to make personal investments such as purchasing commercial and residential real estate.”
As part of their scheme, prosecutors show the two paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to Do and two of Do’s daughters, which Do admitted to when he pleaded guilty last October.
“It’s true. I have great sorrow for my actions,” Do said in court at the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse last Halloween. “I’m responsible for every word,” he said, describing the text of his plea agreement.
[Read: Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme]
Do is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, with prosecutors recommending he serve five years in federal prison.
[Read: Federal Prosecutors Recommend 5 Years in Prison for Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do]
The charges are the latest chapter in the ongoing fallout from Do’s resignation and subsequent guilty plea, with county supervisors still in the process of finding auditors to go back and make sure no other county money was improperly used.
[Read: OC Supervisors Approve Outside Audit After Bribery Scandal]
Pham has been charged with 15 different criminal charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and the concealment of money laundering.
Nguyen, who’s scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of concealing money laundering.
“If convicted of the charges, Pham and Nguyen would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, each wire fraud count, and each money laundering count,” prosecutors wrote. “Pham also would face up to 10 years in federal prison for the bribery count.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.