FBI raids and a recycling firm: how a promising US mayor wound up at the center of a bribery scandal

Former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao is standing trial with three co-defendants over an alleged bribery scheme involving the city’s recycling contractor. The case has become a focus of residents’ disappointment and wider frustration with a city seen as prosperous but struggling to deliver basic services.

Prosecutors allege that recycling company executives David and Andy Duong backed negative campaign mailers against Thao’s rivals and offered her partner a $300,000 no-show job. In return, they say, Thao agreed to extend the company’s multi-million-dollar contract, appoint preferred candidates to city posts and buy converted shipping-container homes. All four defendants deny wrongdoing; Thao faces six federal counts and could receive up to 20 years in prison if convicted.