SANTA ANA, Calif. — A high-ranking Orange County, Southern California, elected official has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit high-profile bribery. a program that misused COVID-19 relief funds that should have been used to feed the elderly.

Andrew Do, a county supervisor who recently resigned from his position, entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., under an agreement with federal prosecutors.

Do, 61, apologized to his family and those who depended on him in a statement he read in court.

“I am deeply saddened by my actions,” he said.

Authorities said Do accepted more than half a million dollars in bribes while helping ensure federal COVID relief funds were funneled to an organization that claimed to feed the elderly and disabled . The Viet America Society group, where Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, was listed as an officer, did not spend most of the money it received for meals to provide them, authorities said, adding that part of the funds was spent on real estate. .

The case comes amid a long-running investigation into the Viet America Society and as Orange County – home to more than 3 million residents between Los Angeles and San Diego – filed a lawsuit civil suit claiming the group misused federal funds.

Federal officials said only 15% of the more than $9 million given to the group was intended to provide meals. Officials said the group also received $1 million for a local Vietnam War memorial, which is not yet completed.

During the investigation, authorities seized more than $2 million. Officials declined to immediately say how the rest of the money the group received was used.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters after Thursday’s hearing. Spitzer said officials are committed to recovering assets obtained through the project and returning misused funds to the federal government.

Andrew Do came to the country as a Vietnamese refugee and grew up in Orange County before attending college and law school. He later became a prosecutor and a city council member, then won a seat on the five-person Orange County Board of Supervisors representing a group of communities, including surf-friendly Huntington Beach. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31.

Authorities said Rhiannon Do was cooperating in the investigation as part of an agreement with prosecutors and would not be charged.