Thao & Jones: Oakland Ex-Mayor, Boyfriend And Others Charged in Bribery Scheme

Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is facing a federal criminal prosecution alleging that she participated in a pay-to-play corruption scheme involving political support, city business and benefits allegedly provided to her longtime partner. Thao has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations against her remain unproven.

By SyndicatedNews True Crime | SNN.BZ

OAKLAND, Calif. — A federal grand jury indicted Thao along with her longtime partner, Andre Jones, and Oakland businessmen David Trung Duong and Andy Hung Duong. The eight-count indictment was filed January 9, 2025, and unsealed January 17. Federal prosecutors allege that the arrangement began around Oakland’s 2022 mayoral election and continued after Thao took office.

According to the indictment, prosecutors allege that Thao promised to use her position as mayor to take official actions benefiting David and Andy Duong. In return, prosecutors say, the Duongs provided benefits to Thao and Jones. David Duong headed a recycling company providing residential recycling services in Oakland and was also involved in a company established to manufacture prefabricated modular housing.

The indictment alleges that the benefits included financing political mailers supporting Thao during the 2022 mayoral campaign and a job for Jones that prosecutors characterize as a “no-show” position paying approximately $95,000 annually. Prosecutors contend that Thao, once elected, would take steps benefiting the Duongs’ business interests, including matters involving Oakland’s recycling contract and a proposal involving modular housing.

The charges against Thao include conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit honest-services mail and wire fraud, honest-services mail fraud, and honest-services wire fraud. The indictment also charges Andy Duong with making false statements to federal investigators. Some of the fraud counts carry maximum statutory penalties of 20 years in federal prison if a defendant is convicted, although any actual sentence would be determined separately by the court.

The prosecution has continued moving toward trial. In April 2026, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected defense efforts to suppress evidence obtained through federal search warrants. Defense attorneys had challenged information supplied by an FBI informant and argued that investigators omitted information affecting his credibility. The judge concluded that the defendants had not produced credible evidence that the government intentionally deceived the issuing court or acted with reckless disregard.

That informant has since been publicly identified in federal court proceedings as Oakland businessman and former City Council candidate Mario Juarez. Defense lawyers have attacked Juarez’s credibility and questioned the FBI’s reliance on information he provided. Prosecutors, however, have maintained that the federal investigation was already underway for more than a year before investigators interviewed Juarez and that other evidence, including communications, had been collected independently.

The case is particularly significant because Thao was Oakland’s sitting mayor when FBI agents searched her home in June 2024. She was later recalled by Oakland voters in November 2024. The federal indictment followed in January 2025, transforming a highly publicized political controversy into a criminal case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Thao and her co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. A federal indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. As of the latest reported court developments, the case was proceeding toward a trial scheduled for October 19, 2026, subject to further orders or scheduling changes by the federal court.