It’s the first piece of hard news since the FBI raided Mayor Sheng Thao’s home in June. The federal public corruption scandal has dominated Oakland City Hall politics for nearly half a year and contributed to residents recalling Thao in November. 

TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO’S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S ADMINISTRATION

KEY DATES FOR THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION

While details of the FBI raid remain sealed, the Alameda County court filing links Thao to California Waste Solutions, a recycling company led by the Duong family, its patriarch David Duong and his son, Andy Duong. 

According to the filings, the family allegedly authorized multiple secret payments to a political operative tasked with getting Thao into office. As mayor, Thao would then steer lucrative city contracts worth millions to California Waste Solutions. 

In all, the Duongs, California Waste Solutions, and another city security contractor funneled at least $295,000 before and after the November 2022 election to Mario Juarez, the political operative. The Duongs sent Juarez at least $75,000 of that total before the election, prosecutors alleged in their Monday filing. Some of the money was allegedly used by Juarez, a former Oakland City Council candidate, to create racially charged mailers targeting Thao’s political opponents Loren Taylor and Ignacio de la Fuente. 

The latest court filing stems from a criminal complaint filed by former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s office back in January against Juarez for allegedly writing bad checks. The district attorney’s office alleges Juarez failed to pay a marketing company for printing and sending the negative political mailers.

MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR

Price’s office said in October 2022, Juarez’s bank account “received a $75,000 check from California Waste Solutions.” Then, Juarez “proceeds to create and send the mailers to help Sheng Thao get elected to the Oakland mayor’s office.”  

County prosecutors alleged Juarez, who in recent years has come under multiple criminal investigations for his business dealings, channeled tens of thousands of dollars from his business checking account into his daughter’s high school checking account in an effort to dodge paying for the pro-Thao campaign mailers. Checks he wrote for mailers, totaling nearly $54,000, bounced. 

Despite the bad checks, the relationship between Juarez and the Duong family flourished. They started a company together that was supposed to build homes for homeless women and children out of revamped shipping containers. That venture was short-lived and the Duongs accused Juarez of defrauding them.

CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOOL REPUBLICANS HOPE TO USE TO UNDO BIDEN RULES

Juarez is believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in their case, according to the Mercury News. His home was shot up 11 days before the June FBI raids in an attack that Oakland police say was meant to kill him. 

Some of the money Juarez received, two checks totaling $7,500, also ended up in the hands of Thao’s boyfriend, Andre Jones. Jones, who was publicly accused of corruption by Thao’s former chief of staff, Renia Webb, has largely operated in the shadows. A federal grand jury earlier this year sent several subpoenas to Oakland seeking records about Jones’ communications with city officials, including his calendar starting back in June 1, 2022 through this year. 

HOW ELON MUSK HELPED WILL TRUMP BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE

Jones had been employed by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control until 2021. Prior to that, he was the chief of staff to Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. While working at City Hall, he met Thao, who was working there as an intern. 

Thao’s world has since been turned upside down. 

She was the first Hmong American woman to become the mayor of a major American city when she was elected two years ago. 

She faced criticism almost immediately after taking office for firing popular Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. She also was blamed by residents and the police union for Oaland’s abysmal record on public safety. 

A scathing four-page letter from the union to Thao blamed her for rising crime rates in the city, failed programs, and gross mismanagement. It also said the board supported the recall election against her. 

“To protect the safety of Oakland residents and businesses, the Oakland Police Officers Association executive board Monday voted unanimously to seek your resignation,” read the letter, which was signed by Sgt. Huy Nguyen as president and Sgt. Tim Dolan as vice president. 

“Oakland’s hard-working, dedicated, and brave police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. But your policies, and those of the council majority, continue to whittle away at police officers’ ability to protect Oakland from violent crimes, murders, shootings, carjackings, burglaries, robberies, sideshows, and the mayhem that Oakland experiences daily.”

Things went from bad to worse when her home was raided by the FBI. She repeatedly claimed she wasn’t the target of the investigation and claimed it was politically motivated. 

Last month, she became the nation’s first mayor of a major city in more than a decade to get recalled.