San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo was charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors over allegations he was wrapped up in a bribery and kickback scheme involving an Oakland-based housing developer.
Azevedo is facing one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and lying to federal investigators. He has not been arrested and didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors believe Azevedo accepted a $2,000 cash bribe from an unnamed owner of the housing company that had business interests with the city, according to documents filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.
During the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, Azevedo took steps to benefit the company, including advocating for an emergency shelter ordinance with San Leandro government officials, taking city officials on a tour of the company’s model units and advocating for the purchase of units by the city of San Leandro, according to court documents.
Then, in June of 2024, prosecutors say Azevedo allegedly voted “in furtherance of an emergency ordinance that would have benefitted” the company.
During an investigation into the scheme, Azevedo allegedly lied about it to FBI and IRS agents, according to prosecutors.
Accused of scheming with ‘coconspirators’
Court documents show that prosecutors believe Azevedo worked on the alleged scheme with two unnamed “coconspirators,” owners of the unnamed affordable housing company, for about a year starting in August of 2023.
The company was building and selling prefabricated modular homes made from shipping containers.
If convicted, Azevedo could face up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Abraham Fine, the assistant U.S. attorney who is also prosecuting former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her partner Andre Jones on several federal corruption and bribery charges.
Prosecutors believe Azevedo accepted a $2,000 cash bribe from an unnamed owner of the Oakland housing company that had business interests with San Leandro.
Also facing charges in that case are David Duong and his son Andy, who own a recycling company, California Waste Solutions, that does business with Oakland.
The Duongs also ran a company that was trying to build and sell modular homes made from shipping containers to help with local homelessness issues.
Azevedo is a fourth-generation San Leandro resident, graduated from San Leandro High School in 1995 and works as a sheet metal foreman, according to his biography on the city website.
He was first elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024. His current term expires in December of 2028.