Recalled Oakland mayor indicted on federal corruption charges
Former Oakland, California, Mayor Sheng Thao, who was recalled by voters in November, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on corruption charges.
In addition to Thao, the Justice Department charged her boyfriend, Andre Jones; the head of a local waste company, David Trung Duong; and Duong’s son, Andy Hung Duong.
In October 2022, Thao allegedly agreed to extend a city recycling services contract with California Waste Solutions, purchase housing units from the Duongs and use her influence to help them.
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“Examples of promises allegedly made by Thao included her agreement to purchase housing units from a company owned by the Duong family, her agreement to ensure the extension of a contract for recycling services that the City of Oakland had with one of David and Andy Duong’s companies and her agreement to use influence to help appoint a high-level city official to benefit the Duongs’ business interests,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins.
The Duongs made payments to Thao and Jones, including funding a $75,000 negative mailer campaign targeting her political rivals, Fox San Francisco reported. The Duongs also made $300,000 in payments to Thao and Jones disguised as wages for a no-show job for Jones, federal prosecutors said.
The payments were made to look as if Jones had a legitimate job with the Duongs’ housing company to cover up the bribery, according to court documents.
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After getting elected, Thao fulfilled her promise to use her influence to appoint an Oakland city official, selected by the Duongs, to protect the family’s business investments, authorities said.
“The indictment itself is chock-full of allegations, but it is not chock-full of evidence,” Thao’s attorney said Friday.
The charges came months after the FBI raided a home linked to Thao.
In a statement to Fox San Francisco, Winston Chan, an attorney for Andy Duong, said the allegations against his client have no merit.
“We have kept quiet despite the media frenzy of the past months in the hope that the government would correctly come to see through objective investigation that the allegations are baseless and being fanned by nothing more than gossip and supposition stitched together by the fabrications and delusions of those who lack all fundamental credibility,” said Chan.
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“But, disappointingly, Andy instead is today the most recent in a long line of Asian Americans who unfairly are singled out and forced to pay a price for daring to be active in the political sphere,” he added. “We look forward to clearing his good name before the court and a jury of his peers.”