Rick Luthmann and I were back for the eleventh episode of The Unknown.
After some current events, an update on Paul Boyne, my story on Kamala Harris covering up for a dirty crime lab, and Rick’s run in with a Chicago defamation lawyer, we welcomed Julie Holburn to the show.
I previously interviewed Julie when the Orange County District Attorney’s Office tried to subpoena her for a criminal trial she was covering as a journalist.
That subpoena was eventually withdrawn.
Julie was undaunted by the legal threats from OCDA, and she’s back with a new investigation.
This time, she’s been exposing Jessica St. Clair, a therapist with a long history of appointments in Orange County, California.
Dr. St. Clair did not respond to my email for comment, but it’s unclear if we need to call her doctor.
The first part of Julie’s investigation focused persistent inaccuracies on her resume.
For years, Jessica St. Clair, LMFT, has positioned herself as a trusted expert in Orange County Family Court cases, promoting herself as “OC’s first intensive reunification therapist” on the courts approved evaluator list.
Recently, she withdrew from all OC family court cases due to a growing scandal about her qualifications and recommendations see the breaking story here, that this journalist helped investigate with investigative journalist Robert J. Hansen.
St. Clair’s recommendations have directly impacted many custody and visitation decisions, often involving serious allegations of child abuse and domestic violence. In numerous cases, her influence resulted in children being removed from protective parents, primarily mothers, and cutting off most or all contact, devastating families and harming children.
St. Clair Misleads Judges
Documents obtained show that Jessica St. Clair has not been a doctoral candidate at Pacifica University since 2011. Meanwhile she has been falsely claiming to judges during court proceedingd to be nearing completion or already holding a PhD in clinical psychology, a claim that has appeared on her LinkedIn profile since 2005 (view LinkedIn account here).
However, documents confirm she has not been enrolled in any PhD program since 2011 and has never completed one (view document here). Most of her documented education focuses on Spanish language studies, with little verifiable training in psychology. It is unclear if she falsifed her credentails to the court. Her other educational claims and required continuing education also remain unverified. The court has not yet responded to records requests.
It remains unclear whether Jessica St. Clair has committed any crimes, but she may have engaged in perjury by misrepresenting her educational credentials and doctoral status during court proceedings.
St. Clair abruptly resigned from every case she was appointed to in Orange County family court in April 2024, just as questions about her credentials were being raised
Jessica St. Clair, the self-proclaimed first intensive reunification therapist of Orange County has left all of her family law cases in the county as of April 24, 2024, according to documents obtained by this reporter.
“The court informs the parties, the court is aware Ms. Jessica St. Clair has withdrawn from all of her cases, including this matter,” the documents read.
A formal letter to the family court by attorney Olivia Long, representing Jessica St. Clair, who is also her daughter, stated that St. Clair will no longer be involved in any Orange County Family Court cases.
“Last week, I broke my leg. I was taken to an acute care hospital and, after several days, put into an acute care rehabilitation facility. I will not return to my office any time soon,” St. Clair told a parent.
It is unclear just how many family law cases St. Clair was involved in Orange County at this time.
As these cases generate tens of thousands in fees, a mass resignation is a sign of bigger problems, I noted in the interview.
Julie further added that it’s even more suspicious since she had her attorney draw up the letters formally removing herself.
More recently, Julie has been documenting the horrors that St. Clair inflicted on the children she was court ordered to treat.
Child A said, “She told me to call her Dr. Jessica, so that’s what I called her.” The child, a teenager at the time, now an adult, described emotional trauma caused by St. Clair and Tonkins. “They told me to ‘suck it up’—that my dad had the money and I needed to be nice to him,” Child A explained. Reports of abuse were brushed aside, and Child A was blamed for the family’s problems. “They said I was imagining things and that my[Parent A] should be thrown in jail. The abuse was ignored.”
The emotional toll on Child A has been profound: “I cried myself to sleep, had panic attacks every night. It’s affected every relationship I’ve had since.” Child A believed St. Clair and Tonkins were “paid off,” saying, “They didn’t protect me—the kid.”
Julie documented several cases, including this one.
In 2018, Parent E and their children—Child E, Child E-1, and Adult Child E-2—faced threats, intimidation, and violence during and after their marriage and subsequent divorce from the other parent. The children witnessed and experienced this abuse firsthand.
Adult Child E-2 recounted aggressive behavior from the other parent, which sometimes resulted in injuries to Child E and Child E-1, including a bloody facial wound. Child E-2 also described how the other parent would physically dominate Parent E, often “cornering [Parent E] at the top of the stairs, standing over them with wide shoulders to intimidate.” The children were also subjected to shoving, gaslighting, and bullying.
Orange County Child Protective Services (CPS) was notified multiple times beginning in 2013, and eventually the other parent was placed on monitored visitation.
However, in 2019, Jessica St. Clair was appointed by the court as a reunification therapist. St. Clair began therapy sessions between the children and the other parent, also involving her colleagues, professionals like Stacy Kinney MS, LMFT, Dr. Sue Tonkins, and Dr. Amy Stark, all on Orange County’s list of approved providers.
Shortly after her appointment, St. Clair requested to replace the court-ordered visitation monitor, stating she had the credentials and experience to fill the role, “I have been appointed by the court several times to conduct therapeutic monitoring of visits between a parent and a child or children,” St. Clair wrote to Parent E’s attorney in 2019. “Therefore, I have the credentials and experience to fill this role.”
Child E-1 recalled that St. Clair quickly aligned with the other parent and used emotionally manipulative tactics during therapy, often asking, “Don’t you think it hurts [the other parent’s] feelings when you don’t want to visit?” Both Child E-1 and Adult Child E-2 confirmed that St. Clair insisted they call her “Dr. St. Clair,” though she did not hold a Ph.D.
Despite the children’s continued anxiety and fear regarding the other parent, St. Clair urged them to “put the past aside” and focus on future visits, ignoring ongoing abuse.
Parent E, struggling financially, told St. Clair in late 2019, “I can’t afford all these sessions. I can’t buy food or pay rent.”
After Parent E told St. Clair and Kinney they could not afford therapy anymore, Kinney made recommendations to the court for "no contact" between Parent E, Adult Child E-2, and the younger two children "effective immediately", accusing Parent E and Adult Child E-2 of undermining the aledegedly abusive parent’s relationship with Child E and Child E-1. St. Clair supported Kinney's recommendation, also sending a letter to the court, to terminate contact. Despite repeated reports of abuse, the court adopted St. Clair and Kinney's recommendation.
Julie has also been following the explosive story of Andrew Do, a County Supervisor for Orange County. He recently agreed to plead guilty to accepting bribes while steering COVID to a charity “affiliated with his daughter.” Those funds turned into a slush fund for his daughter.
The District One Supervisor on the Orange County Board of Supervisors has agreed to plead guilty to a felony federal charge for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes for directing and voting in favor of more than $10 million in COVID funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters, Rhiannon Do, the Justice Department announced today.
Andrew Hoang Do, 62, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. His plea agreement and information were filed today. He is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in Santa Ana later this month.
Do is one of five supervisors on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which is responsible for the county’s $9 billion annual budget. As a county supervisor, Do represents the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, and Westminster. He has served as a county supervisor since February 2015.
As part of his plea agreement, Do admitted that in exchange for more than $550,000 in bribes, beginning in 2020, he voted in favor of and directed millions of dollars in COVID-related funds to Viet America Society (VAS), a charity affiliated with his daughter. Do directed and worked together with other county employees to approve contracts with – and payments to – VAS. Do further admitted he acted corruptly and abused his position of trust as a county supervisor.
“By putting his own interests over those of his constituents, the defendant sold his high office and betrayed the public’s trust,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Even worse, the money he misappropriated and accepted as bribe payments was taken from those most in need – older adults and disabled residents. Our community deserved much better. Corruption has no place in our politics and my office will continue to hold accountable officials who cheat the public.”
“While millions of Americans were dying from COVID-19, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do was the fox in the hen house personified, raiding millions in federal pandemic relief funds and orchestrating the money intended to feed elderly and ailing residents to instead fill the pockets of insiders, himself and his loved ones all while portraying a public persona of a hometown hero guiding his constituents through the uncertainty and fear of a global pandemic,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “No one is above the law in Orange County and these charges should serve as a powerful warning to elected officials everywhere that actions have consequences and justice will be swift and it will be decisive.”
Julie noted that his wife is a presiding judge in Orange County, meaning they formed quite the power couple until recently.
Post script
Check out the previous articles on the series on Orange County. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8. Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45, Part 46, Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53, and Part 54.
Please consider contributing to the Orange County fundraiser so I can continue this investigation.
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