Recalled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao reportedly facing criminal charges in federal indictment
After months of maintaining her innocence, recalled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is facing criminal charges from a federal grand jury indictment that will be announced Friday morning, according to reports.
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Thao has been indicted by a federal grand jury following an FBI corruption investigation.
The paper cites an anonymous source for its report. It's not clear what charges Thao may be facing. Thao did not respond to a request for comment.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office also would not confirm the indictment or offer comment. On Friday morning, federal authorities confirmed that Thao and three others were indicted on corruption charges.
The news comes two months after Oakland voters recalled Thao from office.
Last June, the FBI raided the home that Thao shares with her boyfriend, Andre Jones. Investigators also raided properties linked to the Duong family, the owners of a recycling company contracted with Oakland.
Members of the family have been accused of making illicit campaign donations to Thao and other politicians. A subsequent federal grand jury subpoena demanded that Oakland City Hall turn over a trove of documents in connection with the investigation.
The subpoena also requested documents related to Evolutionary Homes, a company involving the Duongs and Mario Juarez.
Last month, the Alameda County District Attorney filed a motion alleging that Juarez and California Waste Solutions worked to help Thao win the mayor's race in 2022 in exchange for access to taxpayer-funded contracts.
The documents also revealed that Jones received checks from Juarez.
Since the raids took place, federal investigators have not revealed what possible crime they were looking into. Former confidante and Thao's ex-chief of staff Renia Webb has claimed Thao and her boyfriend were involved in pay-to-play schemes after she was elected to office.
In her first public comments days after the raid, Thao offered a blanket denial of wrongdoing. When CBS News Bay Area interviewed Thao last summer, she maintained those denials and dismissed claims that her boyfriend Jones had any involvement in her administration
"I am not the subject of an investigation. I have done nothing wrong," she said at the time.
The U.S. Attorney's Office issued a release Thursday saying it is planning to make a major announcement Friday morning in a joint press conference with the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and a representative from the IRS Criminal Investigations Unit's Oakland field office.
The charges against Thao are expected to be included in that announcement.
Criminal attorney Randall Knox told CBS News Bay Area the indictment suggests the charges could be severe.
"What immediately goes through my head is that somebody is in trouble. They're presumed innocent, but federal prosecutors and the FBI don't indict someone unless they have sufficient evidence. And usually they have cooperators. The standard to indict someone is relatively low. It doesn't require that you prove they're probably guilty or guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It only requires probably cause that a crime has been committed," Knox explained. "But federal prosecutors usually want to have sufficient evidence to have confidence that they can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt."
A special election to replace Thao is scheduled to be held April 15. Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced her plan to run for the office last week, joining a growing field of candidates that includes Webb, former candidate for Oakland mayor Loren Taylor, who formally announced his candidacy in the special election Thursday.
Lauren Toms contributed to this story.
