ShengThaoFiles.com

Recalled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal bribery trial starts next week. She is facing 95 years in prison. On October 13, jury selection begins in Oakland. Opening statements follow. The case is expected to run about six weeks. Thao, her ex-boyfriend Andre Jones, and California Waste Solutions executives David and Andy Duong have all pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say the deal was cut before she ever took the oath. The Duongs would finance attack mailers against Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente and put Jones on a $300,000 no-show job at Evolutionary Homes. In return, Thao would commit Oakland to buying their shipping container housing, extend their recycling contract, and help install people they chose in city jobs. When it became clear she was going to win, Mario Juarez texted Andy Duong, “So we may go to jail. But we are $100 million richer.” Duong answered, “Money buys everything.” The payments to Jones started after that. The group discussed raising his cut toward $3 million if Oakland bought 300 units. Prosecutors say Thao proposed using emergency powers so the city could skip a normal bid. She later pressed the city administrator to put Larry Gallegos in housing even though he lacked the experience for the job. Juarez was in the room when the deal was made. He pleaded guilty and is expected to walk the jury through what Thao agreed to and what she got in return. Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty in a related case and is set to testify too. Staffers are expected to say they heard Thao tell David Duong that if the Vietnam reporting came out, she could no longer work with him. Oakland voted her out by a majority. Next week the people who paid for that term will get to tell a jury what they purchased. – at Oakland, CA