LA Times
By Melanie Mason
2/8/16
Backer of Sen. Janet Nguyen convicted of illegally reimbursing campaign funds
An Orange County man pleaded guilty Friday to illegally laundering campaign
contributions for state Sen. Janet Nguyen's 2012 campaign for an Orange County
supervisor seat.
The investigation — conducted jointly by the Fair Political Practices Commission and the Orange County district attorney's office — found that Son Truong Nguyen reimbursed a total of $13,000 to campaign contributors, obscuring the true source of the funds.
Nguyen, of Fountain Valley, was convicted of 10 counts of unlawful contributions, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to three years' probation and 40 hours of community service; he will also have to pay a $20,000 fine to resolve the investigation by the state's ethics agency.
The investigation did not lead to any charges for Sen. Nguyen, who served as supervisor until her election to the Senate in 2014.
Jay Wierenga, an FPPC spokesman, said "there was insufficient evidence to prove [Sen.] Nguyen knew of or was aware of the laundered funds."