Oakland Mayor’s Statement on FBI House Raid – NBC Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said through her lawyer on Friday that she had no knowledge of any investigation until the FBI searched her home.

The statement comes a day after federal agents searched the mayor’s home as well as several properties owned by men linked to a recycling company that works with the city.

“Mayor Thao is ready, willing and able to fully cooperate with federal investigators. She has nothing to hide,” said Tony Brass, an attorney representing Thao. “It is unfortunate that she has had to endure the bad image this search warrant has left on her home. She would have cooperated with this investigation even without this search. She will continue to do the job Oakland expects of its mayor and provide the federal government with any information it seeks. We have no information that she is or will be the target of this or any other investigation.”

Law enforcement sources told NBC Bay Area on Thursday that four search warrants were executed as part of a larger operation in Oakland.

Agencies involved in the warrant operation included the FBI, IRS and the United States Postal Inspection Service, a source told NBC News.

It is still unclear what connection there is between the arrest warrants and who the investigations are directed against.

The search comes as Thao intensifies his fight against recall and some are calling for the mayor’s resignation.

“A dark shadow hangs over the City of Oakland today. The world watched as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home was raided by the FBI,” the Oakland NAACP said in a statement Thursday. “While the public should refrain from making hasty judgments, the NAACP leadership and its members are calling on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign immediately and spare the City the cost of a recall. The people of Oakland deserve a Mayor who is undistracted, fully engaged and capable of leading the City. Clearly, Mayor Thao cannot focus on the needs of Oakland residents while she addresses the significant challenges presented by the raid and FBI investigation.”

Federal agents search more homes in Oakland Hills

Two other homes searched by federal agents are located in the Oakland Hills and appear to be linked to two men with close ties to both city politics and business.

NBC Bay Area observed United States Postal Inspection Service officers entering and exiting a home on Skyline Boulevard on Thursday. Officers had no comment and referred all questions to the FBI.

In a statement on Thursday, the FBI declined to comment on the nature of this activity, saying it could only confirm that court-sanctioned activity had taken place at this address.

Property records show that the house belongs to David Duong, CEO of California Waste Solutions, the city’s contracted recycling company.

The Duong family has been linked to Thao before. Both are mentioned in a 2020 city ethics complaint, the investigation of which is still ongoing. The investigation centers on allegations of campaign donation violations.

About two and a half miles from the Skyline Boulevard home, FBI agents were seen searching a home on Viewcrest Court and photographing a Mercedes in the driveway.

Property records show that the house on Viewcrest Court is owned by Andy Duong, the son of David Duong.

The FBI has not told NBC Bay Area whether or not there are any connections between the locations.

It is unclear whether there is a connection between Thursday’s searches.

NBC Bay Area reached out to California Waste Solutions for comment but did not receive a response Thursday.

Velena Jones and Christie Smith report on the latest on an FBI investigation that included a search of the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.