Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s attorney considering request to move bribery trial

OAKLAND — Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s attorney is considering asking a federal judge to move his client’s upcoming bribery and fraud trial away from the city where Thao was ousted from office in an unprecedented recall election last fall.

The attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, told a federal judge Thursday he is mulling a change of venue request for the former mayor, who faces several charges in an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme with the owners of the city’s contracted recycling company. Such a move could complicate prosecutors expectations — aired for the first time Thursday — of taking the case to trial by mid-2026, though an official date has not yet been set.

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers gave Tsai until Sept. 11 to request the trial be moved outside of Oakland, where hearings so far have been held.

The revelation came during the latest court hearing for Thao, who was indicted on several charges in January along with her romantic partner, Andre Jones, and the father-son business duo of David and Andy Duong, who run California Waste Solutions.

Prosecutors claim Thao accepted bribes from the Duongs in the form of political favors and $95,000 for a no-show job for Jones. In return, prosecutors claim Thao promised a renewed city contract for the Duong’s recycling company, as well as a contract for the family’s fledgling housing company and a say in city leadership appointments, according to the indictment.

Thao, Jones and David Duong all face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud and conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. In addition to those charges, Andy Duong was indicted on a single count of false statement to a government agency.

Jones’ attorney said he may join in Thao’s motion to move the trial elsewhere, if the request is made. The attorney for David Duong said he’d discuss that idea with his team.

Federal prosecutors have so far handed over about a half-dozen batches of evidence to the defense attorneys for Thao, Jones and the Duongs, including investigative reports and interview memos. More evidence is expected to be handed over in the coming weeks and months, as investigators sift through items seized from all four defendants’ homes in June 2024 raids, as well as their iCloud accounts, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman said in court.

Andy Duong’s phone has taken considerable time, since it contained 200 gigabytes of data, including numerous videos and pictures, Priedeman said.

Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.