{"id":505967,"date":"2026-10-24T00:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T00:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/505967\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T00:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T00:58:12","slug":"oakland-on-trial-day-6-recording-reveals-thao-discussing-confidential-city-business-with-duong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/505967\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland on Trial: Day 6 \u2014 Recording Reveals Thao Discussing Confidential City Business With Duong"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Day 6<\/p>\n

\u2014Years before federal prosecutors accused former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao of participating in a bribery conspiracy involving the politically connected Duong family, she was privately sharing closed session details of Oakland City Council deliberations about the family\u2019s lucrative garbage business with Andy Duong.<\/p>\n

A recording from April 2019, played Friday during the federal public corruption trial in Oakland, captured a frantic-sounding Thao discussing Oakland\u2019s deliberations over California Waste Solutions (CWS), including concerns raised by city officials about the company overcharging residents and potential refunds owed by the company.<\/p>\n

The recording, recovered from a hard drive at the home of CWS executive David Duong, featured Thao, then an Oakland councilmember, describing questions raised by fellow councilmembers Loren Taylor, Dan Kalb and Noel Gallo that CWS should refund ratepayers. <\/p>\n

\u201cNoel, f\u2014king Dan, and Loren kept bringing it up.\u201d Thao said. \u201cIt was mainly Dan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then-Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, one of the biggest supporters of approving California Waste Solutions\u2019 initially contract five years earlier, was caught off guard by the push for refunds, Thao told Andy Duong. <\/p>\n

\u201dRebecca got caught up because she didn\u2019t have an answer for it.\u201d Thao later added, \u201cRebecca is concerned about the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thao appeared particularly focused on Taylor\u2019s persistent questioning and wanted then-Councilmember Larry Reid to intervene.<\/p>\n

If Reid spoke up, \u201cLoren will shut the f\u2014k up,\u201d Thao told Andy Duong. \u201cHe\u2019s asking a lot of question sounding like he\u2019s not going to go with it,\u201d Thao said of Taylor regarding Kaplan\u2019s proposed settlement.<\/p>\n

The recording also captured Thao discussing the need to meet privately with the Duongs, away from public scrutiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need people hearing us talk,\u201d Thao said while deciding on a meeting spot in Oakland, adding, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be seen with you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation offered jurors a revealing glimpse of Thao\u2019s relationship with the Duongs nearly four years before she became mayor and allegedly agreed to use her office to benefit their business interests.<\/p>\n

Thao told Duong that councilmembers were fixated on whether CWS should provide refunds. Taylor was asking \u201cconcerning questions,\u201d she said, and appeared unwilling to accept the proposed resolution without some concessions from the company.<\/p>\n

The recordings were among a voluminous collection of evidence introduced during the third day of testimony from FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay, who has worked on the investigation since late 2022 or early 2023, she said Friday.<\/p>\n

\u2014THAO\u2019S FINANCIAL TROUBLES WORSEN\u2014Prosecutors also presented text messages portraying a financially distressed Thao and her longtime partner, Andre Jones, around the time the alleged conspiracy was taking shape.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 14, 2022, Thao complained to Jones that the couple could not afford their rent and faced mounting utility bills. Their PG&E bill exceeded $1,000, while their water bill was approximately $800.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd pay the fucking rent,\u201d Thao instructed Jones in a text offered in court Friday.<\/p>\n

That same day, according to evidence presented in court, Jones was pursuing a check from Mario Juarez, the political operative prosecutors allege helped broker the corrupt arrangement.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 4, 2023, Thao again urged Jones to figure out how to pay the rent. Jones deposited a check from Juarez that day, according to the evidence.<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s financial difficulties apparently continued after Thao became mayor.<\/p>\n

On May 30, 2023, Thao told Jones the electricity had been disconnected at their home.<\/p>\n

\u201cUgh, they\u2019re wanting $6,000 to turn it back on,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

By November 2023, Thao was still worried about utility expenses, instructing Jones to turn off lights because the bill had reached $3,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot pay,\u201d Thao wrote.<\/p>\n

\u2014JONES\u2019S ALLEGED NO-SHOW JOB\u2014Federal prosecutors also continued building their case that Jones received payments from Evolutionary Homes, a company associated with the alleged conspiracy, despite performing little actual work.<\/p>\n

Barclay testified about a roughly 100-page Evolutionary Homes group chat extending from June 2023 through January 2024. <\/p>\n

Jones was not included, despite other participants regularly discussing the company\u2019s efforts to secure government business.<\/p>\n

Jones also was absent from numerous emails concerning Evolutionary Homes proposals to local governments and from a company organizational chart listing its government relations personnel, prosecutors attempted to establish.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, prosecutors introduced a Nov. 29, 2023, check for $35,000 issued to Jones from an Evolutionary Homes account.<\/p>\n

However, there was some evidence of his involvement. Jones attended a September 2023 meeting in San Jose and appeared as a contact on one version of an Evolutionary Homes proposal to Santa Clara County.<\/p>\n

The government contends Jones\u2019s compensation was part of an arrangement to secure favorable treatment from Thao\u2019s administration. His attorney offered the money was an advance on future sales of the modular units.<\/p>\n

\u2014AUNTIE PAM JOINS THE STORY\u2014Other recordings illustrated the Duongs\u2019 extensive relationships with Oakland politicians and their frustration that Evolutionary Homes had not secured a deal with the city.<\/p>\n

In a January 19, 2024, conversation, Andy Duong and Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins discussed local recall efforts, including Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and the company\u2019s attempts to develop housing projects.<\/p>\n

Duong complained that Thao had not delivered progress on Evolutionary Homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to get your shit together,\u201d Duong said of the mayor. \u201cIf you want to continue for another term, you better start acting right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want Oakland to be the first,\u201d he added, referring to Evolutionary Home\u2019s development ambitions. <\/p>\n

Earlier testimony indicated that San Leandro, Berkeley, Alameda County and Santa Clara County were also pursued as potential buyers of the modular home units.<\/p>\n

\u2014DEFENSE PUSHES BACK\u2014During cross-examination, Andy Duong\u2019s attorney, Erik Babcock, sought to undermine the government\u2019s case by emphasizing what the alleged conspiracy never produced:<\/p>\n

Oakland never purchased any housing units, he argued, nor did the city grant the contemplated CWS contract extension.<\/p>\n

Babcock also questioned the reliability of an Apple Note attributed to Juarez that allegedly documented the terms of the corrupt agreement. <\/p>\n

Barclay acknowledged investigators could not determine with certainty when portions of the note had been modified.<\/p>\n

The attorney emphasized that Juarez, who has cooperated with federal investigators, had been interviewed at least 15 times, including multiple interviews in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Without a recording of the alleged agreement, Babcock argued, the government was dependent on the political operative\u2019s account.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to rely on Mr. Juarez\u2019s word,\u201d Babcock told the witness.<\/p>\n

The FBI agent disagreed, maintaining that other evidence supported the government\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n

The trial resumes on Monday morning with cross-examination of Barclay, who has been on the stand since last Monday. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Supporters of the Duongs returned to the area outside U.S. District Court in Oakland on Friday, although their numbers had dwindled since last week. PHOTO\/East Bay Insiders.<\/p>\n

\u2014FEDS MET WITH THAO BEFORE\u2014 Sheng Thao met with federal law enforcement agents nearly three months before the FBI raided her home in June 2024.<\/p>\n

\u2014Thao\u2019s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, disclosed the meeting in U.S. District Court on Friday morning, before jurors entered the courtroom.<\/p>\n

\u2014Federal authorities met with Thao on March 19, 2024, to discuss potentially allowing ICE operations in Oakland, Tsai told U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.<\/p>\n

\u2014But Thao resisted, Tsai said, citing Oakland\u2019s status as a sanctuary city.<\/p>\n

\u2014Tsai argued that if Thao had been involved in a criminal conspiracy with David Duong and Andy Duong, as federal prosecutors allege, she would have complied with the federal government\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

\u2014ONE DOWN\u2014 Juror No. 10 was excused from the trial for personal reasons, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers informed attorneys Friday morning.<\/p>\n

\u2014Earlier in the week, the judge received two notes from jurors, apparently requesting to be excused from the trial, which is expected to continue through Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

\u2014A second juror also submitted a note to the judge on Friday.<\/p>\n

\"Lights!Lights! Camera! Conspiracy!<\/a><\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE TRIAL: East Bay Insiders will provide daily courtroom coverage of the Oakland public corruption trial, delivered straight to your inbox around 4 p.m each day in addition to the daily 6 a.m. newsletter. <\/p>\n

Get the latest testimony, courtroom drama and political intrigue by becoming a paid subscriber to East Bay Insiders. Support independent local journalism and don\u2019t miss a moment of this historic trial.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Refer a friend<\/a><\/p>\n

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