{"id":2391753,"date":"2025-01-17T13:44:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T18:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-criminally-indicted\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T13:45:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T18:45:35","slug":"former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-criminally-indicted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-criminally-indicted\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao criminally indicted"},"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\">14<\/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%2Fformer-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-criminally-indicted%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=2391753&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>Former Oakland Mayor Sheng\u200b Thao has been criminally\u200c indicted \u200dby a federal grand \u200bjury on charges \u2064of bribery, \u200bcorruption, \u2062and fraud, as announced \u2063by\u200d federal officials.\u200b thao, who\u200d was\u200d recalled from office in November 2023 and had her\u200c home raided by \u200dthe FBI the previous year, is alleged\u2064 to have participated in a corrupt scheme along with her boyfriend,\u200b Andre Jones, and local \u200brecycling company owners David and\u2062 Andy\u200b Duong. \u200cThe indictment \u200coutlines how \u200dthey purportedly used bribes and various forms of fraud\u2064 to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">influence local government operations<\/a>. Thao, the first\u2064 Hmong American to serve\u200b as\u200c mayor of a major city, faced significant criticism during her term,\u2064 including for \u2063her controversial decision to fire a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supporters-of-recall-say-oakland-is-dying-under-mayors-leadership-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Supporters of recall say Oakland is \u2018dying\u2019 under mayor\u2019s leadership - Washington Examiner\">popular police chief<\/a>. Following the indictment, U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins indicated\u2062 he could not confirm if more indictments were forthcoming in this case.  <\/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\">Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao criminally indicted in corruption investigation<\/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>Former Oakland Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3242607\/oakland-spends-millions-recall-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sheng Thao\">Sheng Thao<\/a>, who was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3212535\/supporter-recall-oakland-dying-mayor-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sheng Thao\">recalled in November<\/a> and whose home was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3053801\/fbi-raids-home-of-oakland-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"raided by the FBI\">raided by the FBI<\/a> last year, has been criminally indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery, corruption, and fraud charges, federal officials announced on Friday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Charged alongside her was her longtime boyfriend, Andre Jones, as well as David and Andy Duong, owners of a local recycling company. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a news conference at Laney College in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo\/Jeff Chiu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The indictment returned by the grand jury describes a corrupt scheme in which the defendants used bribes, mail fraud, wire fraud, and other illegal practices to manipulate and corruptly influence the levers of local government,&rdquo; said Patrick Robbins, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, during a news conference.<\/p>\n<p>Robbins declined to comment on whether there would be more indictments in connection with the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thao was elected mayor in November 2022 and became the first Hmong American to lead a major city.<\/p>\n<p>Frustrated voters in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oakland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oakland<\/a>&nbsp;chose to oust her two years later,&nbsp;making her the nation&rsquo;s first mayor of a major city in more than a decade to get the boot.<\/p>\n<p>Thao faced criticism almost immediately after taking office for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/politics-oakland-b4c06e7d0bce29a4635ad2d3c40a04cc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">firing<\/a>&nbsp;popular Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. Adding to her woes was the June FBI raid on her home and her response to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Claiming her innocence, Thao&nbsp;publicly demanded the FBI announce she was not the target of a corruption investigation. The federal agency refused to do so.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have done nothing wrong,&rdquo; she said at a press conference the&nbsp;day after the raid. &ldquo;I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. I will not be charged with a crime because I am innocent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Her attorney, Tony Brass,&nbsp;almost immediately dropped her as a client, citing a difference of views. A day later, Francis Zamora, Thao&rsquo;s chief of communications, announced his resignation.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, the FBI also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3053801\/fbi-raids-home-of-oakland-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conducted raids<\/a>&nbsp;on three&nbsp;properties associated with the politically influential Duong family, which runs a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-in-state-of-political-uncertainty-after-recalling-mayor-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Oakland in state of political uncertainty after recalling mayor - Washington Examiner\">curbside recycling center<\/a> in Oakland through its company, California Waste Solutions.&nbsp;Federal agents also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/eastbay\/article\/andre-jones-mayor-thao-19594996.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">seized phones belonging to&nbsp;<\/a>Thao&rsquo;s&nbsp;boyfriend, Jones.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/criminal-investigation-into-trump-widens-as-former-president-now-faces-several-probes\/\" title=\"Criminal Investigation Into Trump Widens As Former President Now Faces Several Probes\">federal grand jury issued<\/a> a subpoena demanding all &ldquo;documents and communications&rdquo; related to Jones, as well as &ldquo;calendar entries&nbsp;or records&rdquo; of meetings involving Thao or Jones starting in June 2022. The subpoena also sought documents related to the Oakland Army Base and Evolutionary Homes, a joint venture involving the Duongs and a man named Mario Juarez, who has been accused of breaking the law to help Thao win her mayoral election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In November, the city released a trove of documents that showed Evolutionary Homes lobbied for $90 million in city funding and that Thao had used her political clout to help the company secure it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Evolutionary Homes was a short-lived&nbsp;venture, and the company quickly collapsed over internal problems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Records&nbsp;released by the Alameda County District Attorney&rsquo;s Office showed that during Thao&rsquo;s 2022 mayoral campaign, Juarez created and solely funded an independent expenditure campaign that spent more than $100,000 on flyers attacking Thao&rsquo;s opponents. He pleaded not guilty to a charge that he passed more than $50,000 in bad checks that were supposed to pay for the postage cost of the flyers. It is believed that the bad checks are what led to a wider investigation into Thao and her associates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" \"> <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Edward Escobar, founder of Citizens Unite, which spearheaded the campaign to oust Thao, told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner&nbsp;<\/em>the indictment &ldquo;underscores the critical importance of accountability in our public institutions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This indictment serves as a wake-up call for political leaders who have strayed from representing the will of the people,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It underscores the critical need for integrity, accountability, and transparency in governance. Now is the moment for our leaders to refocus on their duty to the public.&rdquo;<\/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>Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao indicted on corruption charges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2391754,"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\/10\/Thao.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4602,16718,32543],"class_list":["post-2391753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-mayor","tag-oakland","tag-sheng-thao"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Thao.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391753","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=2391753"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2391761,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391753\/revisions\/2391761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2391754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2391753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2391753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2391753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}