{"id":2379042,"date":"2024-12-11T16:24:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T21:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-filings-tie-powerful-oakland-family-to-ousted-mayor\/"},"modified":"2024-12-11T16:28:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T21:28:44","slug":"court-filings-tie-powerful-oakland-family-to-ousted-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-filings-tie-powerful-oakland-family-to-ousted-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"Court filings tie powerful Oakland family to ousted mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-filings-tie-powerful-oakland-family-to-ousted-mayor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2379042&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent court filing from the \u200bAlameda County District Attorney&#8217;s office has linked\u2064 Oakland&#8217;s outgoing mayor,Sheng Thao,and her boyfriend to allegations involving a wealthy \u2064local family,the Duongs,and a political operative named Mario\u2064 Juarez. This scheme purportedly aimed to sway the 2022 mayoral election in Thao&#8217;s \u200dfavor.Following an FBI raid on\u200c Thao&#8217;s \u2064home\u200b earlier this year, officials allege the Duong family funneled\u200d approximately $295,000 \u2062to Juarez for campaign-related \u200cefforts, including racially charged\u200d mailers targeting Thao\u2019s opponents.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors claim that \u2064the duongs, who run a recycling company, orchestrated secret payments intended to secure favorable city contracts for their\u200b business once Thao was\u2063 elected. Despite Juarez&#8217;s questionable financial dealings, the relationship between him and the \u200dDuongs continued, with attempts to create\u2063 a\u200c company focused on housing \u200csolutions for homeless women and children. However, this venture reportedly ended\u2063 due\u2064 to allegations \u2062of fraud.<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing federal corruption inquiry and its implications overshadow Thao&#8217;s recent term, ultimately contributing to \u200dher recall in November. Juarez\u200b is believed to be cooperating with \u200cfederal authorities, and the case highlights the intersection of political influence and alleged \u200dcorruption in local governance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Court filings tie powerful Oakland family to ousted mayor and scheme to sway election<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1761959\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/le.alcoda.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Alameda County\">Alameda County<\/a> District Attorney&rsquo;s office dropped a bombshell this week linking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oakland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Oakland's\">Oakland<\/a>&lsquo;s outgoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3242607\/oakland-spends-millions-recall-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"mayor\">mayor<\/a> and her boyfriend to a Democratic political operative and wealthy local family who allegedly&nbsp;hatched a scheme to sway the 2022 mayoral election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>It&rsquo;s the first piece of hard news since the FBI <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3053801\/fbi-raids-home-of-oakland-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"raided\">raided<\/a> Mayor Sheng Thao&rsquo;s home in June. The federal public corruption scandal has dominated Oakland City Hall politics for nearly half a year and contributed to residents recalling Thao in November.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3223892\/president-elect-donald-trump-cabinet-picks-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO&rsquo;S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT&rsquo;S ADMINISTRATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a news conference at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. Federal authorities raided a home belonging to Thao early Thursday, June 20, 2024, as part of a California investigation that included a search of at least two other houses, officials said. (AP Photo\/Jeff Chiu, File )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3191374\/dates-2024-presidential-transition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>KEY DATES FOR THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While details of the FBI raid remain sealed, the Alameda County court filing links Thao to California Waste Solutions, a recycling company led by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3055173\/key-players-fbi-raid-oakland-mayors-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Duong family\">Duong family<\/a>, its patriarch David Duong and his son, Andy Duong.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to the filings, the family allegedly&nbsp;authorized multiple secret payments to a political operative tasked with getting Thao into office. As mayor, Thao would then <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">steer lucrative city contracts worth&#038;nbsp<\/a>;millions to California Waste Solutions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In all, the Duongs, California Waste Solutions, and another city security contractor&nbsp;funneled at least $295,000 before and after the November 2022 election to Mario Juarez, the political operative. The Duongs sent Juarez at least $75,000 of that total before the election, prosecutors alleged in their Monday filing.&nbsp;Some of the money was allegedly used by Juarez, a former Oakland&nbsp;City Council candidate, to create racially charged mailers targeting Thao&rsquo;s political opponents Loren Taylor and Ignacio de la Fuente.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The latest court filing stems from a criminal complaint filed by former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price&rsquo;s office back in January against Juarez for allegedly writing bad checks. The district attorney&rsquo;s office alleges Juarez failed to pay a marketing company for printing and sending the negative political mailers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3240974\/meet-new-congress-house-senate-freshmen-119th\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Price&rsquo;s office said in October 2022, Juarez&rsquo;s bank account &ldquo;received a $75,000 check from California Waste Solutions.&rdquo; Then, Juarez &ldquo;proceeds to create and send the mailers to help Sheng Thao get elected to the Oakland mayor&rsquo;s office.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>County prosecutors alleged Juarez, who in&nbsp;recent years has come under multiple criminal investigations for his business dealings,&nbsp;channeled tens of thousands of dollars from his business checking account into his daughter&rsquo;s&nbsp;high school checking account in an effort to dodge paying for the pro-Thao campaign mailers. Checks he wrote for mailers, totaling nearly $54,000, bounced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Despite the bad checks, the relationship between Juarez and the Duong family flourished. They started a company together that was supposed to build homes for homeless <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">women<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">children<\/a> out of revamped shipping containers. That venture was short-lived and the Duongs accused Juarez of defrauding them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/2998312\/congressional-review-act-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOOL REPUBLICANS HOPE TO USE TO UNDO BIDEN RULES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Juarez is believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in their case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2024\/12\/10\/oakland-fbi-probe-revelations-sheng-thao-duong-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"According to\">according to<\/a> the&nbsp;<em>Mercury News.<\/em> His home was shot up 11 days before the June FBI raids in an attack that Oakland police say was meant to kill him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Some of the money Juarez received, two checks totaling $7,500, also ended up in the hands of Thao&rsquo;s boyfriend, Andre Jones. Jones, who was publicly accused of corruption by Thao&rsquo;s former chief of staff, Renia Webb, has largely operated in the shadows. A federal grand jury earlier this year sent several subpoenas to Oakland seeking records about Jones&rsquo; communications with city officials, including his calendar starting back in June 1, 2022 through this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FBI agents raid a home on Maiden Lane where Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao allegedly lives in Oakland, Calif. Thursday, June 20, 2024.  (Jessica Christian\/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3220431\/how-elon-musk-helped-trump-back-to-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>HOW ELON MUSK HELPED WILL TRUMP BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jones had been employed by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control until 2021. Prior to that, he was the chief of staff to Oakland City Councilmember&nbsp;Rebecca Kaplan. While working at City Hall, he met Thao, who was working there as an intern.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thao&rsquo;s world has since been turned upside down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She was the first&nbsp;Hmong American woman to become the mayor of a major American city when she was elected two years ago.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She faced criticism almost immediately after taking office for firing&nbsp;popular Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. She also was blamed by residents and the police union for Oaland&rsquo;s abysmal record on public safety.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A scathing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25033522-opoa-letter-urging-resignation?responsive=1&amp;title=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four-page letter<\/a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;union to Thao blamed her for rising crime rates in the city, failed programs, and gross mismanagement. It also said the board supported the recall election against her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To protect the safety of Oakland residents and businesses, the Oakland Police Officers Association executive board Monday voted unanimously to seek your resignation,&rdquo; read the letter, which was signed by&nbsp;Sgt. Huy Nguyen as president and Sgt. Tim Dolan as vice president.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oakland&rsquo;s hard-working, dedicated, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-police-union-calls-on-mayor-sheng-thao-to-resign-in-scathing-letter-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Oakland police union calls on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign in scathing letter - Washington Examiner\">brave police officers put<\/a> their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. But your policies, and those of the council majority, continue to whittle away at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-takes-15-new-cases-including-another-vape-industry-suit-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Supreme Court takes 15 new cases, including another vape industry suit - Washington Examiner\">police officers&#038;rsquo<\/a>; ability to protect Oakland from violent crimes, murders, shootings, carjackings, burglaries, robberies, sideshows, and the mayhem that Oakland experiences daily.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" \"> <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Things went from bad to worse when her home was raided by the FBI. She repeatedly claimed she wasn&rsquo;t the target of the investigation and claimed it was politically motivated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Last month, she became the&nbsp;nation&rsquo;s first mayor&nbsp;of a major&nbsp;city in more than a decade to get recalled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1761959\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1761959\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Court filings connect influential Oakland family to ousted mayor and alleged election scheme<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2379043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sheng-thao-mayor-oakland-0624.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[46409,41706,46613,46614,33117],"class_list":["post-2379042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-court-filings","tag-legal-documents","tag-oakland-family","tag-ousted-mayor","tag-political-scandal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sheng-thao-mayor-oakland-0624.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2379042"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2379046,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379042\/revisions\/2379046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2379043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2379042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2379042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2379042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}