FBI agents raided the home of Sheng Thao, the embattled Democratic mayor of Oakland, California, on Tuesday.
In an emailed statement, the bureau said, “The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane. We are unable to provide additional information at this time,” according to KPIX-TV in San Francisco.
KGO-TV reported that law enforcement sources said the raid was part of a wider public corruption case involving the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Postal Service.
“Maybe they’re not even included, the local city law enforcement, but they’re being kept in the dark. This has all the looks of a pretty serious situation,” law enforcement expert Lisa Hill said.
UPDATE: Several FBI agents exit Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home carrying boxes as part of a search warrant operation.
Live video: https://t.co/iSdZqrGA8U pic.twitter.com/Dh9oxWKOUp
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) June 20, 2024
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Raids also took place Thursday at the offices of California Waste Solutions and the homes of California Waste Solutions officials Andy Duong and David and Linda Duong.
Nina Medina, president of the National Latino Peace Officers Association, who was in the neighborhood with friends, said, “About six this morning, I heard a male voice yelling to open the door. Open the door.”
“The federal government doesn’t force or obtain warrants into one’s residence without probable cause,” Medina said. “And when it rises, in my experience, to the level of the federal government, you’re talking about some significant issues.”
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Brenta Harbin-Forte, the leader of a group trying to remove Thao from office, said, “While the FBI raid does not prove her guilt in the ongoing investigation, we already have multiple smoking guns indicating Thao’s lack of fitness for public office.”
About 20 boxes of materials were carried out, several with “Andy Duong” on them, according to KPIX. KGO said trash bags filled with items were also removed.
California Waste Solutions representative Teresa Hoang said the firm was cooperating with authorities and that it was “confident the government will conclude that they are not involved in anything unlawful,” according to KPIX.
The Duong family has “dealt with a lot of injustice over the past three decades,” she said.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with stuff like this. Every time we’ve come out clean,” Hoang said.
Thao has been under fire for firing former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong and leaving the job vacant for more than a year.
Armstrong called the raids “a sad day for the City of Oakland.”
“Oakland is in crisis. The mayor’s office is in crisis,” political consultant Sam Singer said, according to KGO.
“In the last 24 hours, 40,000 voters turned in signatures to have the mayor recalled. This morning, she wakes up, and the FBI is knocking her door down. I don’t see how she overcomes this, it’s likely that she will wind up having to resign,” Singer said.
The FBI raid came two days after Thao’s critics filed petitions with more than 40,000 signatures to force a recall vote in November to remove her from office.
BREAKING: The first Mayor Recall in the history of Oakland, California will officially be on the November Ballot after securing 40,595 signatures to recall Sheng Thao. pic.twitter.com/XXGu8ikLT6
— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) June 18, 2024
The effort needs 24,644 valid signatures to make the ballot, according to KPIX.
