FBI Conducts Raid on Oakland Mayor’s Home

FBI agents have raided the home of Oakland California Mayor Sheng Thao, one of several federal raids on other properties in the city on Thursday. At about 5:30 a.m., FBI agents issued warrants on Mayor Thao’s home on Maiden Lane.

The FBI claimed in an email to CBS News, “The FBI is carrying out court-authorized law enforcement operations on Maiden Lane.

We are unable to offer more details at this time.”

As television teams set up shop across the street, a few FBI agents came from the house shortly after ten in the morning, carrying boxes. What the agents had seized and what they were looking for were both unknown.

The Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) and recycler California Waste Solutions share offices on the city’s Embarcadero, and federal officials also served warrants at a neighboring residence on Viewcrest Court in the Ridgemont neighborhood.

The listing for the Viewcrest Court home belongs to Andrew Duong, who is the son of VABA chairman David Duong. In addition, the older Duong serves as California Waste Solutions’ CEO. Several members of the Duong family make up the leadership teams at VABA and California Waste Solutions.

FBI Raid Home of Oakland Mayor

A representative from California Waste Solutions, Teresa Huong, stated that the company was in cooperation with law enforcement and that it was “confident the government will conclude that they are not involved in anything unlawful.”

For a reaction to the raids, CBS News contacted Mayor Thao’s office. At a scheduled press conference on affordable housing with the mayors of Berkeley, San Jose, and San Francisco on Thursday morning, Thao failed to show up.

The raids take place two days after the Alameda County Registrar of Voters declared that a petition to remove Thao from office had gathered enough signatures to proceed with the recall process.

Recall supporters accuse the mayor of not doing enough to combat crime, which has caused numerous businesses in the city to close. They also hold Thao accountable for the city’s non-application for millions of state funds intended to combat retail crime.

In addition, Thao came under fire for letting go of LeRonne Armstrong, the former police chief, and failing to appoint a successor for over a year.

Source: CBS News