Sheng Thao, who was ousted as the mayor of Oakland, Calif., just two months ago amid persistent frustrations with crime, has been indicted on federal corruption charges, prosecutors announced on Friday.
Ms. Thao is among four people being charged. The federal indictment also names Ms. Thao’s boyfriend, Andre Jones; the head of a local waste company, David Trung Duong; and Mr. Duong’s son, Andy Hung Duong.
Patrick D. Robbins, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, said on Friday that Ms. Thao in 2022 had agreed to extend a city contract with the waste company, California Waste Solutions, buy housing from the firm and use her influence to help the Duongs in exchange for a campaign mailer effort and $95,000 in side payments for Mr. Jones.
The indictment came after Ms. Thao, a Democrat who was elected as Oakland’s top official in 2022, became the first mayor of a large American city to be recalled in more than a decade.
Efforts to remove Ms. Thao from office had begun long before she was publicly linked in June to a federal investigation. Early in her tenure, residents of Oakland, often regarded as a gritty and soulful alternative to San Francisco, had become increasingly frustrated with the city’s high crime rates, a widening budget deficit and the loss of major league sports teams. Ms. Thao’s decision to fire a popular police chief also rankled her critics.
Confidence in Ms. Thao further plummeted last summer after F.B.I. agents raided her home in the Oakland Hills for hours.
As part of the June raid, F.B.I. agents searched three other properties in Oakland that were associated with the Duong family. The family has been investigated by Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission for allegations of bypassing campaign limits and giving money to political candidates through “straw donors,” including to Ms. Thao during her campaign for a City Council seat.
Mr. Duong did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The post Former Oakland Mayor Is Indicted on Federal Corruption Charges appeared first on New York Times.
