Prosecution’s star witness describes bribery plot in trial of ex-Oakland mayor

Mario Juarez, a former associate of businessmen David and Andrew Duong, testified he worked closely with the father and son duo to bribe former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her partner Andre Jones for lucrative city contracts. SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The government’s star witness in a high-profile trial in which former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is accused of bribery and corruption took the stand Friday, testifying as to how he and his former business partners conspired to bribe Thao and her romantic partner Andre Jones in exchange for lucrative city contracts.Thao, 41, was indicted in January 2025 along with co-defendants Jones, 55, David Duong, 68 and Andy Duong, 37, on eight counts between them, including conspiracy, bribery, fraud and making a false statement to a government official, in what the government described as a corruption scheme of “paid and accepted bribes for the promise of future influence.”All four co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. Thao faces a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison if convicted of all charges.Mario Juarez, 49, testified for nearly five hours about his decades-long relationship with Oakland businessman David Duong and his son Andy Duong, whose family owns local recycling business California Waste Solutions. Juarez later founded a modular-home startup with the Duongs called Evolutionary Homes.Under questioning from U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine, Juarez began his testimony by telling the 18-person jury that he pleaded guilty to bribing a public official and implicated the Duongs, Thao and Jones in the scheme. Juarez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a bribe in exchange for his cooperation with the prosecution and a more lenient sentence.Many of Fine’s questions relied on Juarez’s texts and WhatsApp messages with Andy Duong, Thao and Jones, Juarez’s Apple Notes, and photos taken by Andy Duong.Juarez recounted how he got into business with the Duong family, who supported him during his first campaign for city council in 2008. After his second failed campaign in 2012, Juarez said he helped the Duongs with political issues, including lobbying the city council to secure a recycling contract for California Waste Solutions in 2014.Juarez recalled people lining up outside California Waste Solutions’ office after it received the city contract to collect money. He noted he personally stuffed two gym bags full of cash, one with $300,000 and the other with $50,000, for two Oakland city council members.Juarez said he did not get paid for his work for the Duongs.“Frankly, I didn’t think I needed cash at that point; it was more valuable to have a friendship than money,” he said.He detailed his deep loyalty to the Duongs, explaining how he got into a physical altercation with someone trying to collect signatures to overturn the city council’s decision to award the contract to California Waste Solutions.“David reacted with pride when told about the shoving match,” Juarez said. “Someone stood up to him; he valued loyalty; he saw that in me, saw that I was someone who would stand up for CWS.”Turning to the 2022 mayoral race, Juarez said he and the Duongs had data that Thao would lose the election and decided to approach Thao with an offer to pay for attack mailers on her opponents in exchange for the city buying 100 units of housing from Evolutionary Homes if she was elected.While the funding for the mailers came from an independent expenditure, which cannot be affiliated with political campaigns, Juarez said he spoke with Thao and Jones directly about the deal, including in a meeting where Thao asked for $300,000, which would be paid through Jones.Juarez claimed Thao later verbally agreed to a 10-year extension of California Waste Solutions’ city contract and contracts for the company to do work at the nearby Army base. She further committed to appointing their chosen official to the housing department, Juarez said. He said he pushed the appointment of Larry Gallegos, describing him as “essential” for Evolutionary Homes.“He knew the inner workings of the city. If given a mandate, he would do it. He would do it the right way, he would do it legally and he would get it done,” he said.The deal later expanded to include $3 million for Jones and a commitment to purchase 300 units of housing from Evolutionary Homes. However, Gallegos was ultimately offered an interim deputy position, which Juarez said he and Andy Duong had an issue with.“We didn’t invest talent, money, hits, took the time out of our days because we like Sheng Thao. We invested money in her because she would give us money in return — through contracts, extension on CWS, the Army base,” he said.Juarez’s testimony will continue next Thursday, followed by cross-examination by the defense.Representatives for the parties did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads