Feds Raid Home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
Federal agents raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao early Thursday morning along with searches of multiple other houses, including two homes connected to a recycling company owned by a politically influential family.
“The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane” in Oakland, agency spokesperson Cameron Polan said in a statement. The FBI did not answer any press questions at the scene, and have not released further information as to the reason for the raids.
The mayor was nowhere in sight and nobody answered when reporters knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell.
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Filmed by Maggie Angst via @sfchronicle.
Law enforcement in FBI jackets searched another house, at 4320 View Crest Court in the Oakland hills Thursday morning.
Andy Duong is listed as the owner of the house on View Crest Court. Duong is a family member of the owners of recycling company Cal Waste Solutions, which has been investigated over campaign contributions to Thao and other elected city officials, Oaklandside reported in 2020.
A neighbor who declined to share his name told an SF Chronicle reporter he heard loud noises at about 4 a.m. Thursday and saw FBI agents coming out of two big trucks that “looked like they were armored vehicles.” He said his first thought was, “what the f— is happening?”
A third search took place at 12569 Skyline Blvd., a house connected to David and Linda Duong.
Mayor Thao is facing a recall vote amid municipal fiscal challenges and a loss of tax base. Yesterday, the effort to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao got enough signatures to move forward. The recall election is scheduled for November.
In March of this year, the City of Oakland forecasted a $177M deficit for this year (ending June 2024) and a projected $175M deficit for the forthcoming year (ending June 2025).
Oakland aims to sell $105M of public land (the Oakland Coliseum) and use it for operating expenses. This is against directives of the Consolidated Fiscal Policy and prior Council commitments, including a recent reaffirmation of that commitment from Council President Bas in 2022, and will require Council approval this month.
The City is set to deliver answers to Council questions and a revised budget proposal on Monday, June 26, four days before the budget deadline.
Rough week for Mayor Sheng Thao.
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