OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three others have been indicted by a federal jury following a corruption investigation, the FBI and US Legal professional’s Workplace introduced Friday.
The federal costs embody bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud.
The three others being indicted are Thao’s longtime accomplice Andre Jones, in addition to two distinguished East Bay businessmen David Duon and his son Andy Duong.
All 4 have been arraigned Friday morning. Thao pleaded not responsible and faces a most of 95 years in jail. She has been launched with journey restrictions.
This comes seven months after FBI raided Thao’s residence final summer season together with a number of different areas, together with properties belonging to the Duong household.
The household holds Oakland’s curbside recycling contract with California Waste Options and has been the main focus of a metropolis probe into marketing campaign contributions.
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The 22-page indictment alleges that Thao and Jones accepted $95,000 value of bribes and left a cash path to point out for it. ABC7 Information video reveals Jones arriving to the Oakland Courthouse for his arraignment, and his legal professional mentioned he was planning to show himself in Friday.
Andy Duong additionally arrived on the identical courthouse in a white swimsuit.
Federal prosecutors detailed the indictment at a press convention, saying the unlawful scheme started in October 2022, only a month earlier than the mayoral election.
The indictment alleges that Thao made commitments to take official motion that will profit the Duongs. That features an settlement to buy housing models type an organization owned by the Duong household and her settlement to make sure a contract extension that town of Oakland has with a recycling firm owned by the Duongs. It additionally contains her settlement to make use of her affect to nominate a excessive stage metropolis official to learn the Duongs.
ABC7 Information spoke with Thao’s former Chief of Employees Renia Webb Thursday evening.
“Two years in the past, everybody mentioned I used to be mendacity and tonight, everybody is aware of I used to be telling the reality,” Webb mentioned.
She mentioned this second is a reset for town of Oakland.
TIMELINE: FBI political corruption investigation involving Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Duong household
TIMELINE: FBI political corruption probe involving Oakland Mayor Thao (1 of 10)
Thao was elected mayor of Oakland in 2022, and was then recalled by voters final fall.
“I am actually unhappy about Sheng. Once more, she’s a mother. She’s very shiny and good. She simply made actually silly choices. She has to take care of the implications of her actions,” Webb mentioned.
In entrance of cameras days after the raid, former Mayor Thao denied any wrongdoing.
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“I need to be crystal clear; I’ve completed nothing fallacious, and I can inform you with confidence that this investigation isn’t about me,” Thao mentioned in June 2024.
Webb testified in entrance of a federal grand jury final month.
“I used to be knowledgeable there was pay-to-play habits happening. That there was corrupt habits happening in that administration,” Webb mentioned.
Report particulars Andy Duong household’s political ties and who they donated to, together with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao whose residence was raided by the FBI.
Thursday night, ABC7 Information insider Phil Matier says the federal indictment has profound implications.
“For a very long time the query was — was she concerned or was she simply within the room? Did one thing occur or was it an affiliate of hers? Was it her live-in boyfriend, is it different folks? If this indictment comes out, then what we’re saying is we all know she was straight concerned not directly,” Matier mentioned.
He went on to say, “The feds do not fiddle. If federal cash is concerned, they’re going to do an investigation. They’ve zero tolerance for public officers bartering or dealing on the facet.”
Webb says let this be a lesson to different elected leaders.
“Serve the folks in the way in which you might be speculated to with honesty and transparency and for those who do not, you’ll get recalled and also you would possibly go to jail if you’re doing unlawful and corrupt stuff,” she mentioned.
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