In a stunning development that has rocked Oakland politics, former mayor Sheng Thao, who was recalled from office last November, now faces federal bribery and conspiracy charges. The FBI alleges that the 39-year-old Democrat played a central role in an expansive pay-to-play corruption scheme during her brief mayoral tenure.
According to the federal indictment unsealed on Friday, Thao and three others – including her longtime partner Andre Jones and the father-son owners of the city’s waste management contractor, Cal Waste Solutions – engaged in a complex bribery arrangement. Prosecutors claim that in exchange for extending Cal Waste’s contracts and appointing officials favored by the company, Thao and Jones were promised:
- $300,000 in direct cash payments to Jones for “no-show” jobs
- $75,000 toward mailers attacking Thao’s 2022 election opponent
- Discounted housing units from the Duong family’s real estate business
“This public trust was broken when elected officials agreed to a pay-to-play system to benefit themselves,” declared federal prosecutor Patrick Robbins at a press conference announcing the charges. He revealed that the FBI probe was sparked by information from Oakland’s public ethics commission.
Anatomy of an Alleged Corruption Scheme
The indictment paints a sordid picture of backroom dealmaking starting from the lead-up to the November 2022 mayoral election, which Thao narrowly won by just 677 votes. In early October, an unnamed co-conspirator allegedly laid out a bribery proposal with Thao, texting one of the Cal Waste owners afterwards:
“So we may go to jail … But we are $100m richer.”
To which Andy Duong allegedly replied: “Money buys everything.”
After her election victory, Thao’s partner Jones began receiving suspicious payments – used to cover the couple’s rent and household expenses – from the Duongs’ companies. Although Thao did not cash the checks directly, prosecutors say she clearly benefited from the arrangement.
Recall and FBI Raid Foreshadowed Charges
The charges come as little surprise to many Oakland residents. Thao was booted from office in a recall election last November, and her home was raided by the FBI last June, just days after the recall campaign gained steam.
At the time, Thao denied wrongdoing and called the raid’s timing “suspicious.” But the writing was on the wall. With her political downfall now compounded by criminal charges, the former rising star of Oakland progressives begins a grim new chapter.
Attorneys Trade Barbs as City Reels
While Thao has not yet commented on the indictment, her three co-defendants have already lawyered up. Cal Waste executive Andy Duong’s attorney blasted the charges as “baseless” and accused prosecutors of unfairly “singling out” his client for being an active Asian American businessman.
The scandal has left Oakland’s government in turmoil once again, as the city struggles to move past a string of other misconduct allegations in recent years. For Oaklanders hoping for a clean slate after Thao’s messy recall, these latest explosive charges prove that rooting out City Hall corruption is no easy task.
As the FBI continues connecting the dots on Thao’s alleged bribery network, the full scope of the scandal remains to be seen. But one thing is already clear: the betrayal of public trust in Oakland runs deep, and restoring good governance will be a long, painful road.
