Opening statements in the corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three others began on Wednesday morning after jury selection wrapped up on Tuesday evening.
Seven women and five men were seated as jurors following a day-long session of questioning Tuesday from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys. The jurors and six alternate jurors were chosen from a pool about 70 potential jurors questioned.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine began to lay out the government case Wednesday morning during his opening statements, opening with a forceful characterization of Thao.
“Public official who put her power up for sale, who put greed first, who put her own monetary interest above the people she was supposed to serve,” Fine said.
Thao, her boyfriend Andre Jones, local businessman David Duong, and his son Andy Duong face federal charges in a wide-ranging indictment alleging bribery, mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy. The allegations point to a pay-to-play corruption scheme to use the levers of municipal government to benefit themselves.
Courtroom sketch shows (L-R) Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Andre Jones, former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andy Duong, David Duong during opening statements.
Vicki Behringer
Prosecutors say that just before the November 2022 election that would bring her into office, Thao conspired with the Duongs to use her future position as mayor to benefit their business dealings, including extending the city’s recycling contracts with the company they ran, Cal Waste Solutions. The Duongs also allegedly bankrolled a negative campaign mailer targeting Thao’s rivals in the mayoral race.
The indictment alleges that following the election, Thao, Jones, Andy Duong and other co-conspirators arranged for Jones to be paid compensation disguised as wages through a “no-show” job. In 2023 Thao allegedly proposed using emergency powers to buy housing units from a company linked to the Duongs without going through standard competitive bidding.
Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
KPIX
The conspiracy also involved getting a preferred, high-level official into a city role to benefit the Duong’s business interests, and having sponsors associated with the Vietnamese American Business Association – founded by David Duong and run by his inner circle – to cover travel expenses and perks for Jones and other city workers, according to the complaint.
In his opening statement, defense attorney Jeffrey Tsai argued that prosecutors were presenting a misleading story driven by local businessman and political operative Mario Juarez, expected to be the government’s central witness in the case and who has cooperated with prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence.
“Justice Department will ask you to believe Thao is the main character in the story is a new mayor who immediately sold her office,” Tsai said. “The narrator of the story is named Mario Juarez. The story is pure fiction.”
Tsai characterized Juarez as the driving force behind the allegations and maintained that Thao was never involved in a bribery agreement.
In June 2024, the FBI raided Thao’s home that she shared with Jones, as well as properties linked to the Duong family, including Cal Waste Solutions. The federal indictment, announced in January 2025, came months after Oakland voters recalled Thao from office.
All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Legal analyst Steven Clark told CBS News Bay Area that the turmoil associated with Thao’s tenure as mayor would be a challenge for the defense.
“The big problem for Miss Thao is this abuse of public trust that she’s accused of, and that’s something that’s going to be difficult for the defense to deal with in this trial because she comes into the trial with a lot of baggage,” Clarke said.
The trial is expected to last about a month. If convicted of all charges, the defendants face up to 35 years in prison.
contributed to this report.
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