Amidst an FBI corruption probe in Anaheim, Ament faces hard time in prison for defrauding a cannabis company, lying to a financial institution, and filing false tax returns.
Author Archives: Brandon Pho
As a Voice of OC reporter, Brandon Pho covered north/central Orange County, as well as broader regional issues around law enforcement, transportation, the environment, the OC Fair and Little Saigon.
He joined in 2018 as an intern, shedding light on turmoil and corruption claims in Westminster and uncovering a now-fired OC Fair executive’s suspect fundraising relationship with a nearby, private Christian college that the Fair had sponsored with public money.
Later, he published a number of investigative stories on local law enforcement agencies; detailed political jockeying around a controversial seawater desalting plant proposal in Huntington Beach; narrated a racial reckoning inside one of the county’s largest school districts; and tracked various quality of life issues across the region.
Before Voice of OC, Brandon worked as a reporter and editor at Cal State Fullerton’s independent student newspaper, the Daily Titan, and won a number of accolades for his reporting in 2018, including a 1st and 2nd place Los Angeles Press Club award and 1st place national College Media Association award.
While at Voice of OC, Brandon was a member of Report for America, a national network of local reporters committed to bolstering democracy throughout the U.S.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
An OC Supervisor Gutted the Watchdog Office for Probing Sheriff, Says Grand Jury Report
A new report released today by the Grand Jury found that an unnamed OC Supervisor put a hiring freeze on the Office of Independent Review after they called out the Sheriff’s Department.
Posted inAnaheim
FBI Probe Pushes Anaheim City Hall and Chamber of Commerce Apart Ahead of July 4 Parade
The city isn’t partnering with the Chamber for the Fourth of July parade. Meanwhile, the annual display of patriotism in Anaheim Hills has its own history of struggling with power and influence.
Posted inCOAST
Attempted Back Bay Land Sale, and Emails Between County and Wealthy Donor, Come Under the Microscope
Orange County grand jurors also took a critical look at how the county nearly sold off public parkland – and still “ceded” the land “to private use” despite the sale being stopped by residents.
Posted inALL TOP STORIES
Anaheim City Hall Struggles to Investigate Itself While Facing FBI Corruption Probe
Some are questioning the optics of Anaheim officials setting the agenda, scope and direction of a public corruption investigation into what very well may be themselves.
Posted inGovernment
Anaheim’s Shadowy Angel Stadium Sale Sparks Efforts to Strengthen CA Surplus Land Act
Following a corruption investigation into Anaheim and the now squashed Stadium deal, state legislators are looking to bolster California’s Surplus Land Act.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Election Night Roundup: DA Todd Spitzer Trounces Opponents; On Track to Win Without Runoff
Spitzer is on track to win re-election outright, while Democrats advanced to have a chance in November to take a majority on the powerful Board of Supervisors for the first time in decades.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Primary Election 2022: OC’s Congressional Landscape Results
The latest election night results on races affecting Orange County’s representation at the U.S. House of Representatives.
Posted inAnaheim
Anaheim Residents Are Asking What It Takes to Get Corporations to Sit Out the Local Campaign Season
A Wednesday rally in the heart of Anaheim’s resort industry put the FBI corruption scandal under a working-class lens.
Posted inGovernment
OC Fair Feels Echoes of Anaheim FBI Corruption Probe
New developments in federal authorities’ Anaheim corruption investigation have put the spotlight on political relationships between OC Fair Board members.
