Southern California county official pleads guilty to bribery charge in COVID funds scheme

Associated Press

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A high-ranking elected official in California’s Orange County has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in a far-reaching scheme that misused COVID-19 relief funds that should have been used to feed the elderly. Andrew Do, a county supervisor who recently resigned his post, entered the plea in federal court in Santa Ana Thursday under an agreement with federal prosecutors. The 61-year-old apologized to his family and people who depended on him in a statement he read in court. Authorities say Do took more than half a million dollars in bribes while helping ensure COVID-relief funds were channeled to an organization that claimed to be feeding elderly and disabled people.