FBI raids homes of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her two supporters

（OAKLAND) While facing the possible recall election in November, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's home was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on June 20. Other locations related to her supporters from the Duong family, who own the Cal Waste Solutions, were also raided by the federal investigators.

Investigators who raided Thao's home were seen by the news media wearing FBI jackets. In addition to the FBI, it was reported that investigators from the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and U.S. Postal Inspection were also involved in the raid.

Multiple boxes were seen carrying out of Thao's home by investigators where she resides with her children and partner.

Other locations raided by the federal investigators on the same day included the homes of two members from the Duong family who own the Cal Waste Solutions, a Vietnamese-owned waste management company providing recycling collection services in Oakland and San Jose.

There has been no official information regarding the raids released by the federal law enforcement agencies. Local and national news media have reported that Thao may have received donations through a campaign money laundering scheme and members of the Duong family who have been Thao's supporters may be related.

Thao did not appear at any public events for 4 days after the raid until June 24 when she called for a press conference inside Oakland City hall. She read out a prepared statement and did not answer questions from reporters.

"You all deserve to hear directly from me about this event. I plan to be 100% transparent and cooperate fully with the investigation. I want to be crystal clear. I have done nothing wrong," said Thao in the press conference.

Thao continued, "I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. I have not been charged with a crime, and I am confident I will not be charged with a crime because I am innocent."

"Just like you, I am seeking answers from the U.S. Attorney about what is happening and why. Why wasn't I offered the opportunity to cooperate voluntarily?" said Thao.

Thao, 38, was elected as Mayor of Oakland in November 2022 and has been in the position for almost 18 months. She is the first Hmong American and second Asian American after Jean Quan as the Mayor of Oakland. In her short venture, she has faced a number of challenges and criticisms, including the recall petition organized by a group of Oakland residents and activists.

Only 15 days prior to the FBI raid, the organizers who started the petition to recall Thao submitted 40,654 signatures to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters on June 5 for verification. It was more than the required 24,644 voters' signatures to place the recall on the ballot.

On June 18, 2 days prior to the FBI raid, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters confirmed 41,530 signatures approved for the recall petition. It is expected that the recall Thao election will be held in the upcoming November election.

During the 10-minute press conference, Thao questioned whether the recall campaign against her might be related to the raid. "I want to know why the day following the qualification of a recall election, funded by some of the richest people in the Bay Area, seemed like the right day to execute a warrant," said Thao.

Organizers of the recall campaign who gathered outside Oakland City Hall during and after Thao holding the press conference called for Thao to immediately resign.

"I will not be bullied, I will not be disparaged and I will not be threatened out of this office," Thao said in the press conference that she would not resign from the job.

Recall campaign organizers argued the point raised by Thao about their connection with the FBI raid. "I have no power over, we have no power over the FBI, the IRS, the U.S. Postal Service," Brenda Harbin-Forte, a retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge and organizer of the recall petition, said at the rally. "Those signatures that we gathered were not based on some kind of conspiracy. These are people, common, everyday people."

In the following days after Thao spoke to the press, multiple news media reported that the federal investigation was possibly related to illegal campaign money laundering schemes in which donations had been sent to Thao by owners of Cal Waste Solutions. The main office of Cal Waste Solutions, homes of the company's CEO David Duong and his son Andy Duong were also raided by the FBI and federal investigators.

According to news reports, the allegations of illegal campaign donations have been under investigation for years by the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Oakland Public Ethics Commission. The Duongs were alleged to funnel campaign donations through “straw donors,” concealing the true source of the contributions, and in violation of conflict-of-interest rules.

Straw donors are meant for donors who contribute to any political campaigns but are paid back by other people who intend to hide their real names.

Cal Waste Solutions is the largest recycling company in Northern California, employing over 300 union and non-union workers directly from the communities they serve, according to the company's website.

Members of the Duong family own and operate Cal Waste Solutions' recycling collection business in Oakland and San Jose. David Duong is the President and CEO of the company. David's parents first established the business in South Vietnam and owned the largest paper mill there. David as their oldest son learned the skill from his parents.

The Duong family invested over $150 million to create Vietnam Waste Solutions, the biggest waste treatment facility in Vietnam managing solid waste collection, landfills, recycling and composting.

David and Andy Duong have been close with Thao who travelled to Vietnam in August 2023 as her first official overseas visit since she took office.