{"id":509436,"date":"2026-10-27T11:48:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T11:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/509436\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T11:48:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T11:48:50","slug":"i-know-what-they-do-911-calls-were-key-turning-point-in-oakland-corruption-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/509436\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Know What They Do\u2019: 911 Calls Were Key Turning Point in Oakland Corruption Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two 911 calls in May 2024 tipped off federal agents to a key development in an ongoing public corruption investigation that has since become the subject of a major federal criminal trial involving Oakland<\/a>\u2019s former mayor, Sheng Thao.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mario Juarez, a businessman and political operative, called police twice \u2014 on May 3, 2024, and again the following day \u2014\u00a0to report he had been assaulted at the Oakland waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions, the city\u2019s recycling contractor.<\/p>\n

A group of 10 men had beaten him up, he said, and the owners of the company brought those men together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt involves a crime of, high crime of racketeering and organized crime,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it may involve police officers.\u201d<\/p>\n

KQED obtained those calls through a public records request.<\/p>\n

Last week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay said Juarez\u2019s allegations against both the Duongs and police prompted the agency to contact him, setting in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the indictment of Thao and three others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mario<\/p>\n

Mario Juarez’s First Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez’s Home Address<\/p>\n

Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, whose family owns California Waste Solutions, are facing charges of bribery, conspiracy and honest services mail and wire fraud in a federal corruption trial that kicked off this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutors have described a pay-to-play scheme involving promises of preferential treatment for the Duongs\u2019 businesses, a no-show job and negative campaign mailers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In her testimony, Barclay said the FBI had been investigating a potential bribery scheme involving Juarez and the defendants for months when, in May 2024, the agency received information that was significant to its investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[Oakland police] brought information to our attention that Juarez had made allegations against the Duong family and [the department] itself,\u201d Barclay said. \u201cBecause of some of the allegations about OPD, they brought it to our attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once the FBI received that information, Barclay said, agents approached Juarez for an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was apparent that he was making allegations of corruption relating to the Duong family,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The spokesperson declined to say what happened as a result of the investigation, or if any OPD personnel were charged or disciplined, citing a state law prohibiting the disclosure of most police personnel records.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Oakland Police Department takes allegations of misconduct by its members seriously,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThe department shared the information with the FBI, has cooperated with federal authorities since then, and continues to do so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said, \u201cBecause Mr. Juarez is a witness in an ongoing federal criminal trial, the department will not comment on the substance of his statements.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan said the agency cannot comment on the case at this time. Neither the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office nor the Alameda County District Attorney\u2019s Office responded to KQED\u2019s questions about the calls or whether any officers have been charged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u2019s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Defense attorneys have called into question Juarez\u2019s credibility and what they\u2019ve described as his \u201cdecades-long history\u201d of fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In court records filed in the lead-up to the trial, defense attorneys said Juarez had been sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They described a documented \u201ccounter-attack\u201d history, including instances in which they say Juarez alleged misconduct by others in response to accusations or lawsuits lodged against him. Juarez, they said, \u201chas repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoing in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

An attorney for Andy Duong declined to comment on Juarez\u2019s allegations in the 911 calls. Lawyers for David Duong and Doug Straus with Buchalter Law Firm, an attorney for California Waste Solutions, did not respond to KQED\u2019s requests for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\u2018For your records when you get subpoenaed\u2019\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The day that Juarez called 911 marked a breaking point in his yearslong relationship with the Duongs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the fall of 2022, Juarez and the Duongs had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes \u2014 a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for people exiting homelessness and market them to Bay Area cities and counties looking to address the crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege that Thao agreed to commit the city of Oakland to purchasing housing units from Evolutionary Homes, in addition to other favors, as part of the alleged bribery scheme.<\/p>\n

\"\"Evolutionary Homes\u2019 rendering of a proposed container home development for people who are exiting homelessness. \u00a0(Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)<\/p>\n

But in the spring of 2024, prosecutors say the relationship between the Duongs and Juarez began to deteriorate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That year, Andy Duong told an Alameda County District Attorney\u2019s Office inspector that he and his father had invested $800,000 into a business venture with Juarez but ultimately fell victim to what they considered to be theft of their investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juarez, they said, was supposed to deliver 50 container homes but had only produced two of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the course of their involvement with him, Juarez continued to ask for more and more money for the project without being able to provide them receipts, etc.,\u201d a July 2024 search warrant affidavit read, continuing, \u201cthe Duongs, now allegedly into the project for slightly over $1,000,000, decided to walk away from doing business with Juarez.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen asked why deliveries were not being made, Juarez would make excuses about being close, or that worker or material costs [were] slowing things down,\u201d Andy Duong told the inspector.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao\u2019s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

In a court filing, prosecutors say Juarez became frustrated by the Duongs not reimbursing him for what he said he had already spent.<\/p>\n

By late April, the tension in their relationship reached a breaking point. Juarez, prosecutors say, asked to dissolve the partnership, and the Duongs threatened legal action based on loans they had given Juarez.<\/p>\n

In response, they say, Juarez threatened to go to law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an email on April 24, 2024, to David Duong, Andy Duong and others, Juarez said he was writing \u201cfor your records when you get subpoenaed by the FBI, City Attorneys, FPPC, and others,\u201d the filing read.<\/p>\n

\n\u2018I want my money\u2019\n<\/p>\n

Juarez and the Duongs disagree about what happened next.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to prosecutors, on May 3, 2024, Juarez arrived at the Evolutionary Homes office and discovered he had been locked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an audio recording of the confrontation that followed, which was admitted as evidence in the trial on Friday, Juarez can be heard saying, \u201cI want my money,\u201d to which David Duong responded, \u201cWe want our $800,000 back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Prosecutors say they found a gold chain and watch in Andy Duong\u2019s garage that Mario Juarez identified as belonging to him. Juarez, Andy Duong and David Duong had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a housing startup that\u2019s at the center of an alleged bribery scheme involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, before the two had a falling out in the spring of 2024.\u00a0(Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)<\/p>\n

Juarez can be heard insisting that he needs to get inside the office, while other people, including David Duong, offer to help get his stuff out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The \u201cbusiness is gone,\u201d David Duong can be heard saying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you closed the business?\u201d Juarez asks. \u201cYeah,\u201d David Duong responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asst. U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine told the jury in the government\u2019s opening statement that Andy Duong recorded the exchange.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Juarez refused to leave, Duong turned off the recorder,\u201d Fine said. \u201cSome people showed up and beat up Juarez. They beat him, punched him.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, Fine said, they took a watch and chain that Juarez \u201chad worn for years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That same day, Juarez called 911.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am reporting a felony assault,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mario<\/p>\n

Mario Juarez’s Second Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez’s Home Address<\/p>\n

\u201cThey assaulted me this afternoon, and I just got home,\u201d he told the dispatcher. \u201cIt was about ten people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juarez said that the assault was \u201corganized by Johnny Duong,\u201d David Duong\u2019s son and California Waste Solutions\u2019 chief operating officer. Johnny Duong declined to comment on the allegations. A review of Alameda County and federal court records by KQED found no criminal charges against Johnny Duong related to the alleged assault.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next day, when officers apparently still hadn\u2019t responded, Juarez called 911 again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am, I need to report a crime that I was a victim of,\u201d Juarez said, explaining that he had just woken up from a beating the day before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI got stomped in the head by ten people that were sent together by the owners of California Waste Solutions, which is the city of Oakland waste management contract,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juarez asked for a sergeant to respond, because the owners of the company \u201chave tremendous influence with the police, with patrol officers,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how they donate drones<\/a> to the police department,\u201d Juarez said. \u201cI know how they have police officers right now in their offices during their break, right now, today, right now. You have a patrol at 1211 Embarcadero on the third floor and saying that he\u2019s at Starbucks. Do you see? Do you not have a patrol officer at 1211 Embarcadero?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to give you an idea of something that is so powerful that perhaps, you know \u2026\u201d he trailed off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

KQED has not substantiated Juarez\u2019s allegations against Oakland police.<\/p>\n

Andy Duong told the Alameda County District Attorney\u2019s Office inspector a different account of the events that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his version, Juarez showed up at California Waste Solutions on May 3, 2024, and confronted him and his father, claiming they still owed him money he needed to pay his workers in Mexico, where the company was purportedly building homes out of shipping containers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the search warrant affidavit authored by the inspector, Andy Duong alleged Juarez \u201cheld them for hours demanding money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland.\u00a0(Gustavo Hernandez\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey feared for their safety because he is known to carry weapons,\u201d the affidavit read. \u201cJuarez ultimately left without receiving any further money from the Duongs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutors on Friday showed a photo taken that day outside California Waste Solutions\u2019 office, which was seized from Andy Duong\u2019s phone. In the photo, Juarez can be seen sitting on the ground covered with a blanket while several people stand around him. An ambulance and stretcher are parked nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Winston Chan, one of Andy Duong\u2019s attorneys, told jurors in his opening statement that Juarez showed up that day agitated and armed with a gun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chan said someone outside the Duong family punched Juarez in the face.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened was, yes, an altercation,\u201d Chan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Winston Chan (left), attorney for Andy Duong, gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Duong and co-defendants former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. \u00a0(Vicki Behringer for KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to say that afternoon was handled well,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this was the farthest thing from a preplanned ambush.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Court records show an Oakland police officer is expected to testify about his interactions with Andy Duong, David Duong and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer at California Waste Solutions, on the day Juarez placed the second 911 call, as well as a police report he authored documenting the Duongs\u2019 descriptions of the confrontation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a recent court filing, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the recycling company\u2019s headquarters on May 3, 2024, doesn\u2019t exist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juarez previously told the FBI he had seen members of the Duong family delete footage from the security system.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence that Juarez previously observed the deletion of footage from the surveillance system therefore is relevant to the jury\u2019s assessment of why no corresponding footage exists for May 3, 2024,\u201d the filing read.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Juarez went to the police, it marked the first time he talked to law enforcement about the Duongs, Fine said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

About a month later, on June 6, 2024, Juarez sat down with the FBI for an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two weeks after that, the FBI executed search warrants at Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong\u2019s homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the search of Andy Duong\u2019s residence, Fine said agents discovered a watch and chain that Juarez identified as items stolen from him during the altercation with the Duongs. They were in a paper bag, Fine said, inside Andy Duong\u2019s garage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two 911 calls in May 2024 tipped off federal agents to a key development in an ongoing public…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-509436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}