(Crankers) Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was indicted on federal corruption charges in January 2025, following a long-running FBI investigation. The indictment alleges a bribery scheme involving Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and two local businessmen, David and Andy Duong. Thao was recalled from office by voters in November 2024, and was officially out of office one month before the indictment was unsealed.
Prosecutors claim Thao made promises to the Duong family, who own Oakland’s contracted recycling company, California Waste Solutions, in exchange for bribes.
The indictment states that Thao promised to take specific official actions to benefit the Duongs’ business interests, including:
Committing the City of Oakland to purchase housing units from the Duongs’ housing company.
Extending the city’s recycling contract with the Duongs’ company.
Appointing city officials selected by the Duongs to powerful posts.
In exchange for these promises, the Duong family allegedly provided benefits to Thao and Jones, including:
Paying for $75,000 in campaign mailers that attacked Thao’s opponents in the 2022 mayoral election.
Providing $95,000 to Andre Jones for a “no-show” job with their housing company.
According to prosecutors, a financial trail shows that after Jones began receiving payments, he started paying a greater share of household and utility bills for the home he shared with Thao.
The indictment alleges that Thao directed the bribe payments be made to her partner, Jones, to conceal the payments and avoid a paper trail linking them to her. The defendants are also accused of creating false invoices and failing to disclose the benefits on financial disclosure forms.
Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case is ongoing. In April 2025, additional records related to the case were made public through a city records dump, revealing more information about the connections between Thao, Jones, and the Duong family.