A series of raids in Orange County targeted the leaders of a nonprofit accused of misusing COVID-19 relief funds.
The raids came after weeks of legal woes for the Viet America Society, which was hit with a lawsuit last week for allegedly misappropriating upwards of $10 million in public funds it received to feed struggling seniors and families during the pandemic.
Federal investigators targeted the homes of VAS President Peter Pham and one of the organization’s employees, Rhiannon Do, who also happens to be the daughter of O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do. No arrests were made during the raids.
Supervisor Katrina Foley said she wasn’t surprised by the scope of the raids based on evidence found so far.
“We have filed our own lawsuits against the individuals who pilfered our public funds that were intended for helping needy people during the pandemic and instead purchased real property, used it for paying for personal expenses, remodeling, car repairs, and the like,” she told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou.
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Mark Rosen, an attorney for VAS, told the Orange County Register that agents also searched the restaurant Perfume River, which the nonprofit contracted to prepare meals during the pandemic.
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