Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Three Others Indicted on Federal Bribery and Conspiracy Charges

Jan 17, 2025, 05:46 PM

Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, along with her longtime partner Andre Jones and business owners David and Andy Duong, have been indicted on federal bribery and conspiracy charges. The indictments, unsealed on January 17, 2025, allege that Thao engaged in a 'pay-to-play' scheme before and during her tenure as mayor. The scheme involved promises to extend city contracts to the Duongs' recycling company, California Waste Solutions, and to purchase housing units from their housing company in exchange for campaign support and payments to Jones. Specifically, the Duongs allegedly funded $75,000 in negative campaign mailers targeting Thao's opponents in the 2022 election and paid Jones $95,000 for a 'no-show' job. Thao and the others involved have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include bribery, conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud. If convicted, Thao faces up to 95 years in prison.