On Thursday, federal agents searched the family home of OC Supervisor Andrew Do and his wife — OC Superior Court Deputy Chief Judge Cheri Pham — as well as a home owned by their daughter Rhiannon Do and several properties related to an LAist investigation involving millions of unaccounted taxpayer dollars.

A spokesperson for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division confirmed that they were involved in the raids along with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The search warrants were executed at Rhiannon Do’s home in Tustin; a family home in North Tustin that property records show belongs to Cheri Pham and Supervisor Do; a home in Garden Grove that public records show belongs to Peter Pham, founder of the Viet America Society (VAS); and a home in Fountain Valley that government records show is the business address of VAS – the nonprofit that Orange County authorities sued earlier this month for alleged fraud.

A neighbor told an LAist reporter on the scene that at the time of the raid, there were over a dozen black cars parked in the street surrounding Supervisor Do and Cheri Pham’s North Tustin home.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed that they had executed search warrants at the homes. “The affidavit supporting the search warrant is under seal and therefore we are prohibited from commenting on the nature of the case. No arrests are planned,” said Laura Eimiller.

Rhiannon Do’s Tustin home was named in the fraud lawsuit filed last week by Orange County officials demanding VAS repay millions in taxpayer dollars. The lawsuit alleges Thursday’s fraud scheme involved Rhiannon Do, other VAS leaders, Aloha Financial Investment and its president Thu Thao Thi Vu, who owns the Fountain Valley home.

Vu’s name also appears on the deed for Rhiannon Do’s home purchase, as someone who should receive a copy once the deed is officially recorded. Financial records obtained by LAist show that a large portion of the county funds transferred to VAS were funneled to the Perfume River restaurant in Westminster, owned by Vu’s company, Aloha Financial Investment. Two VAS leaders also held leadership positions at Aloha, according to records obtained by LAist.

An eyewitness also confirmed to LAist a raid at the Perfume River Restaurant in the Asian Garden Mall in Westminster. According to an agency spokesperson, the IRS was not involved in the raid on the restaurant. LAist has contacted the FBI for confirmation.

The county’s lawsuit accuses Rhiannon Do and Peter Pham of, among other things, fraud, in which funds intended for feeding needy seniors and building a war memorial were diverted to building and rehabilitating million-dollar homes.

Supervisor Do and Rhiannon Do did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for the Superior Court of California said Cheri Pham could not comment because California ethics rules prohibit judges from commenting on law enforcement actions or pending litigation.

The raid on Rhiannon Do’s house in Tustin

An LAist reporter saw at least six police officers standing outside Rhiannon Do’s home and front door Thursday morning. At around 11:20 a.m., an LAist reporter on the scene heard a police officer say Rhiannon Do was inside the house. Police officers were also inside the house at the time. A neighbor told LAist he saw Rhiannon Do come in with the officers as they entered the house this morning.

The IRS Criminal Division was involved in the raid on Rhiannon Do’s home. Most of the agents observed by LAist wore black shirts with “POLICE IRS-CI” printed on the back. A LAist reporter also heard an agent tell a private investigator he was from the IRS Criminal Division.

A spokesman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office confirmed his involvement in the raids but declined to comment further.

According to Zillow and property records reviewed by LAist, Rhiannon Do purchased the home last year for $1.035 million.

Larry Thomas, who lives next door, told LAist around 9:45 a.m. that police were standing guard outside. He said he heard what he described as “banging and quite a bit of noise” coming from the house.

A photo obtained by LAist shows what appears to be evidence in front of a small building on the property. The white rectangular sign reads “ROOM P.” A LAist reporter heard an agent standing next to the house say, “Remember, you’re looking for documents.” An agent also noted finding a large amount of Christmas decorations.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., an officer left the house with two large rectangular boxes and drove away.

Supervisor Do and Rhiannon Do have been in the house more often in recent days, Thomas told LAist on Wednesday. Rhiannon in particular has been in the house more often in the last 48 hours than she has in the year since the purchase.

Thomas told LAist earlier this week that in the year since Rhiannon Do bought the house, there has been no sign that anyone has ever moved in.

He said there appeared to be a lot of work being done on the house in the first few months after the purchase, including the noise of electric saws.

“You could hear hammers and saws and heavy equipment every day,” Thomas said.

The background story

LAist revealed last December that the nonprofit Viet America Society had failed to account for what happened to the millions of dollars in taxpayer money Do had provided to the group.

In response to LAist’s questions in April about the funds her father gave to the nonprofit and the home purchase, Rhiannon Do did not answer whether any county funds given to her nonprofit were used to buy the home. She denied that anything wrong happened and said she worked hard for her home.

After giving the nonprofit months this year to provide the necessary proof, the county finally filed a lawsuit last week alleging a comprehensive fraud scheme to embezzle funds intended to feed needy seniors during the pandemic. The county’s allegations include that funds were illegally diverted to purchase several homes, including Rhiannon Do’s home in Tustin.

Supervisor Do has not responded to LAist’s requests for comment over the past nine months. In interviews with other media outlets, he has denied any wrongdoing. State law does not require him to disclose his family connection to the nonprofit he funded with taxpayer money. The state legislature is preparing a bill that would change that.

Find out about the investigation

In November 2023, LAist began investigating how millions of taxpayer dollars were spent. In total, LAist has uncovered that over $13 million in public funds were given to a little-known nonprofit that, according to records, was at times run by Rhiannon Do, Supervisor Do’s now 23-year-old daughter. The majority of this money was funneled to the group by Supervisor Do without public attention and never appeared on the agenda of public meetings. He has not publicly disclosed his family ties.

A large part of the known funds came from federal funds for corona aid.

• Read the story that led to the investigation here.
• Since we began reporting, we have also found that the group was two years behind in conducting a required audit to ensure that food was being distributed appropriately.
• And we found that the amount of taxpayer money that went to the nonprofit was much higher than initially known, amounting to at least $13.5 million in county funds, according to government records obtained and published by LAist.
• Following our reporting, OC officials wrote demand letters to the nonprofit claiming millions of dollars had not been accounted for and warning that the organization could potentially be forced to repay the funds.
• We also found that the nonprofit had missed a deadline set by county officials to provide proof of how the meal funds were used.
• On August 2, LAist reported that OC officials were demanding the return of over $3 million in public funds that Do had paid to VAS and another nonprofit, Hand to Hand.
• Six days later, LAist reported that Orange County authorities had escalated their demands for millions of taxpayer dollars to be returned to the nonprofits and threatened legal action.
• On August 15, LAist reported that OC officials sued VAS and its key personnel and affiliates, including Rhiannon Do. The suit alleges that county funds were illegally used to purchase five homes and converted to cash through ATM transactions.
• Then, on August 19, LAist reported that OC officials had announced a second lawsuit against Hand to Hand and its CEO to recoup millions in taxpayer dollars ordered by Supervisor Do.

This is a developing story and we will post updates as we receive further reports.