Trials
Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's federal bribery trial moved to opening statements after a jury was seated.
ABC7 News, NBC Bay Area and The Oaklandside reported that seven women and five men were seated Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in federal court in Oakland for the corruption trial of former Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and California Waste Solutions executives David and Andy Duong. Opening statements were scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14. All four have pleaded not guilty.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
An indictment is a list of accusations, and this jury now decides whether the government can prove them. The Oaklandside reported the defense plans to attack the credibility of the key informant, Mario Juarez, who has pleaded guilty. ABC7 News reported the trial is expected to last about six weeks.
The Oaklandside reported that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers spent a full day Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, questioning prospective jurors in downtown Oakland before seating a panel for the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. NBC Bay Area reported the jury is seven women and five men, and The Oaklandside said six alternates were also being chosen. ABC7 News and NBC Bay Area reported opening statements were set to begin Wednesday, Oct. 14. The Oaklandside reported the government was expected to call Thao's former chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, as its first witness.
Thao is on trial with her romantic partner, Andre Jones, and California Waste Solutions executives David Duong and his son, Andy Duong, the outlets reported. The Oaklandside reported all four are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud, mail and wire fraud, and accepting a bribe, and that Andy Duong is also charged with making false statements to the FBI. Prosecutors allege the Duongs spent $75,000 on negative mailers against Thao's opponents in the 2022 mayor's race and paid Jones $95,000 for a no-show job, The Oaklandside reported. In exchange, the government claims, Thao promised the Duongs contract extensions for their recycling company, favorable picks for city department heads, and city purchases of tiny-home shelters from their company Evolutionary Homes. NBC Bay Area reported the case began more than two years ago with an FBI raid at Thao's Oakland home, and that she was indicted last year.
The Oaklandside reported the government's key informant, Mario Juarez, once co-owned the housing company with the Duongs, has pleaded guilty, and that former San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo has also pleaded guilty. ABC7 News reported prosecutors may try to introduce cellphone video, recorded by Andy Duong, that allegedly shows Juarez discussing cash payments to Oakland officials after California Waste Solutions won a city recycling contract in 2015, and that Juarez later told federal agents he counted out $300,000 in a gym bag meant for an unnamed politician. The Oaklandside reported the defense is pointing to Juarez's long history with the legal system and allegations that he defrauded former business partners. Thao's attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, asked prospective jurors whether her 2024 recall would affect their fairness, The Oaklandside reported. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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