The FBI seems to be making progress in no matter investigation resulted within the June raid of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s house, as witnesses are being subpoenaed, however we nonetheless don’t know why the raid occurred or who the FBI’s suspects are.
Sure it’s uncommon {that a} full 5 months after the FBI raided Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home, we nonetheless don’t know why they did, and perhaps no person cares as a result of she’s since been recalled from workplace anyway. However the still-secretive FBI probe might ensnare different East Bay elected officers, and it’s notable that on the day they raided Thao’s house, the FBI additionally raided the places of work of Oakland’s recycling contractor Cal Waste Options, and the houses of its politically well-connected CEO David Duong and his son Andy Duong.
The function of a federal grand jury is usually to determine whether or not there may be proof {that a} crime (or a number of crimes) have been dedicated. The Chronicle additionally dangles the chance that the existence of a grand jury “could indicate that officials are close to making an arrest.”
Sheng Thao herself has always insisted she was not a target of the FBI investigation, and that may be true. But it sure raised eyebrows when we learned in July that Thao’s boyfriend Andre Jones also had his phone seized by the FBI, and that Jones apparently had some outsize but very nebulous role in her administration. According to the Chronicle’s Monday reports, Jones’s attorney “said he has not heard from the FBI.”
But the Chronicle also had an exhaustive report in this weekend’s Sunday paper on documents related to the FBI investigation, noting the feds had issued subpoenas regarding another business venture of the Duong family. That venture was a “tiny homes” for the homeless project called Evolutionary Homes, and the Duongs’ business partner on that one was a very colorful character named Mario Juarez, who’s also been accused of funneling illegal campaign donations on behalf of the Duong family.
The TLDR of that Sunday Chronicle piece is effectively that it found some things that might look shady, but that “None of the documents obtained by the Chronicle contain any evidence of wrongdoing.” Still, there are some intriguing and amusing tidbits in the mix.
Thao apparently took two meetings with Evolutionary Homes in April and May that year. And the Chron found communications from Evolutionary Homes personnel telling city officials they “Would have to argue compliance” for the funding, and asking, “What portion could be acceptable for a homeless emergency?”
The whole Evolutionary Homes project fell apart, with Mario Juarez being accused of felony check fraud charges, and then he was apparently beaten up outside Cal Waste Solutions headquarters. It is fair to say he had a falling out of some sort with the Doung family.
Picture: EvolutionaryHome.com
Humorously, we’ve got extra proof of this falling out because the Chronicle notes that Juarez’s private web site “began linking to” a mock Evolutionary Properties web site referred to as EvolutionaryHome.com. That unofficial web site merely makes imprecise and unflattering allegations towards Cal Waste Options CEO David Duong. Juarez has a knack for these “hit job” web sites, as he began one towards Alameda County DA Pamela Worth.
Once more, we have no idea if Juarez, the Duongs, or Sheng Thao are targets of this FBI probe. However we do know that Mario Juarez is definitely probably the most entertaining determine on this scandal, no matter turns it could take.
Associated: Sheng Thao Insists She Was Not a Goal of FBI Raid in Fiery Chronicle Interview [SFist]
Picture: OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 12: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks as Alameda County Councilmember David Haubert, and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan look on at a press convention saying the Oakland Roots will play their 2025 USL Championship house video games on the Oakland Coliseum on the Oakland Coliseum on August 12, 2024 in Oakland, California. (Photograph by Doug Zimmerman/ISI Pictures/Getty Pictures)
