The Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao early Thursday morning, sparking shock on social media.
Reports indicated that FBI agents emerged from the Democrat lawmaker’s home in the morning equipped with a blue light and surgical gloves.
CBS News reported the home on Maiden Lane was raided around 5:30 am PT.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane,” FBI spokesman Cameron Polan said in a statement.
Thao was escorted out of the house as agents were seen walking back and forth from their vehicles to the house.
One neighbor told ABC7 News that she woke up to authorities banging on her door around 6 am.
Both law enforcement and federal agents also searched a nearby residence at 4320 View Crest Court in the same area.
Polan added Thursday morning that no further information could be provided so the reason for the raids remains unclear, however, some theories have since emerged on X.
“Thao is a Democrat and was elected in 2022, becoming the first Hmong-American mayor of a major city in America,” Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg shared.
“Thao is facing a recall vote as crime in Oakland continues to skyrocket. She is just 38-years-old.”
Several FBI agents were seen leaving Thao’s home around 10 am Thursday.
The San Francisco Chronicle, who linked the raided Maiden Lane home to Thao, explained that housing records also reveal that the other raided residence is owned by Andy Duong.
Agents were seen leaving the premises with roughly 20 boxes of seized material, many of which had Duong’s name written on them.
Duong’s family runs the recycling company California Waste Solutions (CWS), which has faced scrutiny over its campaign donations to Thao and other elected officials.
He has over 100,000 followers on his Instagram which features photos with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Governor Gavin Newsom.
Duong did not respond to a phone call from the Chronicle on Thursday.
Oaklandside reported that CWS has faced scrutiny for its campaign contributions to Oakland city officials, including Thao during her time as a city councilmember.
Teresa Hoang, a company staffer, stated that the firm is cooperating with authorities and expressed confidence that the government will determine they have not engaged in any unlawful activities.
Hoang said that the Duong family has “dealt with a lot of injustice over the past three decades” and remains confident that no wrongdoing will be discovered.
She added, “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with stuff like this.”
“Every time we’ve come out clean,” she continued. “The officials know more than anybody right now what the investigation is about.”
CBS News Bay Area reported the raids occurred just two days after the Alameda County Registrar of Voters confirmed that a petition to recall Thao from office had enough signatures to proceed.
Recall supporters criticize the mayor for not effectively combating crime, leading to numerous business closures in the city.
They also fault Thao for the city’s failure to apply for millions of dollars in state funds to address retail crime.
The outlet contacted Thao’s office for a response to the raids, noting she was absent Thursday morning at a scheduled press conference in San Francisco about affordable housing.
The post Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Home is Raided by FBI as Dem Faces Recall Over Soaring Crime appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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