Sheng Thao, the former Oakland Mayor, is indicted by a federal grand jury as investigations into corruption deepen
Oakland: So, it looks like former Mayor Sheng Thao is in some serious trouble. Just a day after the FBI raided another local politician’s home, news broke that Thao is getting federally indicted.
The SF Chronicle reported that a federal grand jury has indicted her, but we won’t know the specifics until Friday. It’s still unclear what charges she’s facing.
Remember, it’s been about seven months since the FBI raided her home. That day, they also hit other places linked to the Duong family, who run a recycling business in Oakland. Thao has always claimed she was unfairly targeted and insists she hasn’t done anything wrong.
But after the raid, whispers about possible illegal activities started surfacing. There were talks about “straw donors” who allegedly funneled illegal campaign contributions through other people. One of these guys, Mario Juarez, had his home shot at just before the FBI raids, which added a layer of mystery to the whole situation.
These questionable donations seem to have happened before Thao even became mayor. Plus, her former chief of staff, Renia Webb, who’s now running for mayor, came forward with some serious allegations against Thao and her boyfriend, who’s also caught up in this mess.
Then, a federal grand jury began issuing subpoenas for documents related to Thao, her boyfriend, and a tiny-home project they were involved in. Fast forward to late November, and we found out that a grand jury was already hearing testimonies from various witnesses.
Now, it seems like the indictments are finally here. We’ll find out soon if Thao is facing charges alone or if others are involved.
The investigation is still rolling, and just yesterday, the FBI served a search warrant at the home of another local councilmember with ties to the Duong family.
Thao has been pretty vocal about her innocence. After the raid, she held a press conference where she called the FBI’s actions “complete overreach” and claimed she wasn’t the target of the investigation.
However, her attorney dropped her as a client the same day, saying they had different views on how to handle the case.
Thao was recalled by Oakland voters in November and wrapped up her time as mayor just a month ago. This indictment comes five years after a similar scandal in San Francisco that led to multiple resignations and indictments in city government.
