Just last week, a mailer sent by Van Le to the community regarding whether San Jose City Councilmember Doan is a convicted criminal. He is currently running for reelection this upcoming November.
The mailer was a political attack piece in respond to the Mercury News article published on May 29, 2026. The candidate questionnaire asked Bien Doan: “Have you been convicted of any felonies? If so, when and of what?” His published answer was simply: “No.”
Councilmember Bien Doan promptly demanded retraction and threatened to sue for defamation against his opponent and anyone who even considering forwarding the mailer or spreading this news. He also ordered his staff to send out notices that anybody who knows somebody spreading this information, please report to Queenie Ngo, his trusted aide.
A few days later, Viet Valley News reported the story fully in an article titled "Criminal Court Records Concerning Bien Doan".
www.vietvalley.com
Summary of the VietValley article as written by ChatGPT.
The VietValley article, titled “Hồ Sơ Hình Sự từ Tòa Án về Biên Đoàn” reports that campaign materials from Van Le’s campaign cite historical Santa Clara County Superior Court records concerning Bien Trieu Doan, born November 23, 1964. VietValley says it reviewed Register of Actions records and certified court documents and identifies at least five case numbers from the 1980s.
The article describes several categories of records:
- E8527908 (1985): The article says the record shows a misdemeanor conviction under Penal Code §§484/488, with probation, a fine and 31 days of custody. It also says the original court file was subsequently purged under the court's records-retention rules.
- C8530335 (1985–1987): VietValley reports a nolo contendere disposition in 1987 involving petty theft with specified priors under Penal Code §666, followed by probation, fines and custody. It also reports a later certification of conviction.
- C8707482: The article reports felony allegations involving possession of a completed check and forgery. It says the charges were marked “Held to Answer” following a preliminary examination. That terminology indicates the case was allowed to proceed; it is not itself a conviction.
- C8733373 and 116360A: The article reports additional allegations involving witness-related conduct. In case 116360, it lists eight counts, including alleged check-related offenses, burglary, receiving stolen property, embezzlement/grand theft, bribery or influencing of a witness, and dissuading a witness. Again, the article describes these as charges/allegations, and the legal disposition of each count needs to be distinguished from the mere filing or prosecution of a charge.
An important qualification is that the article itself distinguishes between convictions and allegations. It reports at least two misdemeanor convictions, while separately describing felony accusations that were “Held to Answer.” The latter should not be characterized as felony convictions without evidence of a subsequent conviction.
Why the May 29 Mercury News answer is important
On May 29, 2026, the Bay Area News Group/Mercury News candidate questionnaire asked Bien Doan:
“Have you been convicted of any felonies? If so, when and of what?”
His published answer was simply:
“No.”
That makes the timing and framing of the VietValley article significant. The article is not merely reporting old criminal records in isolation; it was published in the context of a campaign controversy over what those historical court records show compared with Doan's answer to the May 29 candidate questionnaire.
Doan's answer was specifically about felony convictions. The VietValley article reports both misdemeanor convictions and historical felony charges. Therefore, the existence of felony charges or cases is not by itself evidence that Doan was convicted of a felony. The central factual question is whether any of the historical felony cases ultimately resulted in a felony conviction.
After subsequent debates back and forth in different forums on the Internet by supporters and opponents of Bien Doan, the questions raised from various voters demanding transparency from Bien Doan as a candidate running for office
1. Have you ever been convicted of any felonies in Santa Clara County?
2. Have you ever been convicted of any felonies in San Joaquin County after you left San Jose with your criminal activities and resided in San Joaquin County?
3. Have you ever assaulted your former girlfriend within the last 3 years?
The conventional wisdom is despite the voters demanding answers but it is unlikely that Bien Doan will response. These are loaded questions and either are political theater or a gotcha posturing.
