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"title": "Exclusive: How a Brawl, 911 Calls Turned a Co-Conspirator Into a Government Witness in Thao Trial",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two 911 calls in May 2024 tipped off federal agents to a key development in an ongoing public corruption investigation that has since become the subject of a major federal criminal trial involving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s former mayor, Sheng Thao. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mario Juarez, a businessman and political operative, called police twice — on May 3, 2024, and again the following day — to report he had been assaulted at the Oakland waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions, the city’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of 10 men had beaten him up, he said, and the owners of the company brought those men together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It involves a crime of, high crime of racketeering and organized crime,” he said. “And it may involve police officers.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED obtained those calls through a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay said Juarez’s allegations against both the Duongs and police prompted the agency to contact him, setting in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the indictment of Thao and three others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/4442983a-32e8-46c8-a850-b4ea01176a2f/audio.mp3\" Image=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" Title=\"Mario Juarez's First Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez's Home Address\"]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, whose family owns California Waste Solutions, are facing charges of bribery, conspiracy and honest services mail and wire fraud in a federal corruption trial that kicked off this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors have described a pay-to-play scheme involving promises of preferential treatment for the Duongs’ businesses, a no-show job and negative campaign mailers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her testimony, Barclay said the FBI had been investigating a potential bribery scheme involving Juarez and the defendants for months when, in May 2024, the agency received information that was significant to its investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Oakland police] brought information to our attention that Juarez had made allegations against the Duong family and [the department] itself,” Barclay said. “Because of some of the allegations about OPD, they brought it to our attention.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the FBI received that information, Barclay said, agents approached Juarez for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It was apparent that he was making allegations of corruption relating to the Duong family,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1878\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106496\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg 1878w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-2000x2727.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-160x218.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1127x1536.jpg 1127w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1502x2048.jpg 1502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1878px) 100vw, 1878px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mario Juarez, a cooperating witness for the government, sits on the sidewalk outside the California Waste Solutions’ Oakland waterfront office with a blanket over him as ambulance sits parked nearby, May 3, 2024. The photo was seized from Andy Duong’s cell phone. (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay said agents were concerned that if that information got back to the Duongs, they might take steps to destroy evidence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez sat down for his first interview with the FBI about a month after he called 911 to report the alleged assault and has since become a cooperating witness in the federal corruption case. He has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged scheme.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25020077-july-10-2024-subpoena/\">subpoenaed the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, requesting internal Oakland Police Department phone number directories and lists from March to July that year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also requested any police reports made by or involving members of the Duong family, including Andy Duong, David Duong, Kristina Duong and Johnny Duong, from April to July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked about the 911 calls, a spokesperson for the Oakland Police Department said department personnel brought the allegations to the FBI and investigated the matters that fell within its own administrative authority. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson declined to say what happened as a result of the investigation, or if any OPD personnel were charged or disciplined, citing a state law prohibiting the disclosure of most police personnel records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The Oakland Police Department takes allegations of misconduct by its members seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The department shared the information with the FBI, has cooperated with federal authorities since then, and continues to do so.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson said, “Because Mr. Juarez is a witness in an ongoing federal criminal trial, the department will not comment on the substance of his statements.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan said the agency cannot comment on the case at this time. Neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office responded to KQED’s questions about the calls or whether any officers have been charged. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys have called into question Juarez’s credibility and what they’ve described as his “decades-long history” of fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In court records filed in the lead-up to the trial, defense attorneys said Juarez had been sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They described a documented “counter-attack” history, including instances in which they say Juarez alleged misconduct by others in response to accusations or lawsuits lodged against him. Juarez, they said, “has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoing in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An attorney for Andy Duong declined to comment on Juarez’s allegations in the 911 calls. Lawyers for David Duong and Doug Straus with Buchalter Law Firm, an attorney for California Waste Solutions, did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘For your records when you get subpoenaed’ \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day that Juarez called 911 marked a breaking point in his yearslong relationship with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the fall of 2022, Juarez and the Duongs had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes — a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for people exiting homelessness and market them to Bay Area cities and counties looking to address the crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors allege that Thao agreed to commit the city of Oakland to purchasing housing units from Evolutionary Homes, in addition to other favors, as part of the alleged bribery scheme.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103338\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home development for people who are exiting homelessness. (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in the spring of 2024, prosecutors say the relationship between the Duongs and Juarez began to deteriorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That year, Andy Duong told an Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector that he and his father had invested $800,000 into a business venture with Juarez but ultimately fell victim to what they considered to be theft of their investment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez, they said, was supposed to deliver 50 container homes but had only produced two of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Over the course of their involvement with him, Juarez continued to ask for more and more money for the project without being able to provide them receipts, etc.,” a July 2024 search warrant affidavit read, continuing, “the Duongs, now allegedly into the project for slightly over $1,000,000, decided to walk away from doing business with Juarez.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When asked why deliveries were not being made, Juarez would make excuses about being close, or that worker or material costs [were] slowing things down,” Andy Duong told the inspector. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a court filing, prosecutors say Juarez became frustrated by the Duongs not reimbursing him for what he said he had already spent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By late April, the tension in their relationship reached a breaking point. Juarez, prosecutors say, asked to dissolve the partnership, and the Duongs threatened legal action based on loans they had given Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, they say, Juarez threatened to go to law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an email on April 24, 2024, to David Duong, Andy Duong and others, Juarez said he was writing “for your records when you get subpoenaed by the FBI, City Attorneys, FPPC, and others,” the filing read.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘I want my money’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez and the Duongs disagree about what happened next. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to prosecutors, on May 3, 2024, Juarez arrived at the Evolutionary Homes office and discovered he had been locked out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an audio recording of the confrontation that followed, which was admitted as evidence in the trial on Friday, Juarez can be heard saying, “I want my money,” to which David Duong responded, “We want our $800,000 back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"1182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg 1774w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prosecutors say they found a gold chain and watch in Andy Duong’s garage that Mario Juarez identified as belonging to him. Juarez, Andy Duong and David Duong had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a housing startup that’s at the center of an alleged bribery scheme involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, before the two had a falling out in the spring of 2024. (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez can be heard insisting that he needs to get inside the office, while other people, including David Duong, offer to help get his stuff out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The “business is gone,” David Duong can be heard saying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Have you closed the business?” Juarez asks. “Yeah,” David Duong responded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asst. U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine told the jury in the government’s opening statement that Andy Duong recorded the exchange.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When Juarez refused to leave, Duong turned off the recorder,” Fine said. “Some people showed up and beat up Juarez. They beat him, punched him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, Fine said, they took a watch and chain that Juarez “had worn for years.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same day, Juarez called 911. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I am reporting a felony assault,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/522b4b8d-24fe-424a-b720-b4ea01176a2d/audio.mp3\" Image=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250702-OAKLAND-POLICE-DEPARTMENT-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" Title=\"Mario Juarez's Second Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez's Home Address\"]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They assaulted me this afternoon, and I just got home,” he told the dispatcher. “It was about ten people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez said that the assault was “organized by Johnny Duong,” David Duong’s son and California Waste Solutions’ chief operating officer. Johnny Duong declined to comment on the allegations. A review of Alameda County and federal court records by KQED found no criminal charges against Johnny Duong related to the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next day, when officers apparently still hadn’t responded, Juarez called 911 again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Ma’am, I need to report a crime that I was a victim of,” Juarez said, explaining that he had just woken up from a beating the day before. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I got stomped in the head by ten people that were sent together by the owners of California Waste Solutions, which is the city of Oakland waste management contract,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez asked for a sergeant to respond, because the owners of the company “have tremendous influence with the police, with patrol officers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispatcher asked Juarez for the name of the company again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez reiterated, “California Waste Solutions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Because I know them,” Juarez said. “I know what they do. I know how they racketeer. I know how they launder money.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I know how they \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/01/fbi-raids-oakland-police-chinatown/\">donate drones\u003c/a> to the police department,” Juarez said. “I know how they have police officers right now in their offices during their break, right now, today, right now. You have a patrol at 1211 Embarcadero on the third floor and saying that he’s at Starbucks. Do you see? Do you not have a patrol officer at 1211 Embarcadero?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m just trying to give you an idea of something that is so powerful that perhaps, you know …” he trailed off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED has not substantiated Juarez’s allegations against Oakland police. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andy Duong told the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector a different account of the events that day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his version, Juarez showed up at California Waste Solutions on May 3, 2024, and confronted him and his father, claiming they still owed him money he needed to pay his workers in Mexico, where the company was purportedly building homes out of shipping containers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the search warrant affidavit authored by the inspector, Andy Duong alleged Juarez “held them for hours demanding money.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They feared for their safety because he is known to carry weapons,” the affidavit read. “Juarez ultimately left without receiving any further money from the Duongs.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors on Friday showed a photo taken that day outside California Waste Solutions’ office, which was seized from Andy Duong’s phone. In the photo, Juarez can be seen sitting on the ground covered with a blanket while several people stand around him. An ambulance and stretcher are parked nearby. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winston Chan, one of Andy Duong’s attorneys, told jurors in his opening statement that Juarez showed up that day agitated and armed with a gun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chan said someone outside the Duong family punched Juarez in the face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What happened was, yes, an altercation,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104441\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Winston Chan (left), attorney for Andy Duong, gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Duong and co-defendants former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not going to say that afternoon was handled well,” he said. “But this was the farthest thing from a preplanned ambush.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Court records show an Oakland police officer is expected to testify about his interactions with Andy Duong, David Duong and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer at California Waste Solutions, on the day Juarez placed the second 911 call, as well as a police report he authored documenting the Duongs’ descriptions of the confrontation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent court filing, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the recycling company’s headquarters on May 3, 2024, doesn’t exist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez previously told the FBI he had seen members of the Duong family delete footage from the security system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Evidence that Juarez previously observed the deletion of footage from the surveillance system therefore is relevant to the jury’s assessment of why no corresponding footage exists for May 3, 2024,” the filing read. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Juarez went to the police, it marked the first time he talked to law enforcement about the Duongs, Fine said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About a month later, on June 6, 2024, Juarez sat down with the FBI for an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two weeks after that, the FBI executed search warrants at Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong’s homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the search of Andy Duong’s residence, Fine said agents discovered a watch and chain that Juarez identified as items stolen from him during the altercation with the Duongs. They were in a paper bag, Fine said, inside Andy Duong’s garage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mario Juarez, a businessman and political operative, called police twice — on May 3, 2024, and again the following day — to report he had been assaulted at the Oakland waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions, the city’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mario Juarez, a businessman and political operative, called police twice — on May 3, 2024, and again the following day — to report he had been assaulted at the Oakland waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions, the city’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A group of 10 men had beaten him up, he said, and the owners of the company brought those men together.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It involves a crime of, high crime of racketeering and organized crime,” he said. “And it may involve police officers.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED obtained those calls through a public records request.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay said Juarez’s allegations against both the Duongs and police prompted the agency to contact him, setting in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the indictment of Thao and three others. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay said Juarez’s allegations against both the Duongs and police prompted the agency to contact him, setting in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the indictment of Thao and three others. \u003c/p>\n"
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"\n[audio src=\"https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/4442983a-32e8-46c8-a850-b4ea01176a2f/audio.mp3\" Image=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" Title=\"Mario Juarez's First Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez's Home Address\"]\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, whose family owns California Waste Solutions, are facing charges of bribery, conspiracy and honest services mail and wire fraud in a federal corruption trial that kicked off this month. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, whose family owns California Waste Solutions, are facing charges of bribery, conspiracy and honest services mail and wire fraud in a federal corruption trial that kicked off this month. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have described a pay-to-play scheme involving promises of preferential treatment for the Duongs’ businesses, a no-show job and negative campaign mailers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have described a pay-to-play scheme involving promises of preferential treatment for the Duongs’ businesses, a no-show job and negative campaign mailers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In her testimony, Barclay said the FBI had been investigating a potential bribery scheme involving Juarez and the defendants for months when, in May 2024, the agency received information that was significant to its investigation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In her testimony, Barclay said the FBI had been investigating a potential bribery scheme involving Juarez and the defendants for months when, in May 2024, the agency received information that was significant to its investigation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Oakland police] brought information to our attention that Juarez had made allegations against the Duong family and [the department] itself,” Barclay said. “Because of some of the allegations about OPD, they brought it to our attention.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Oakland police] brought information to our attention that Juarez had made allegations against the Duong family and [the department] itself,” Barclay said. “Because of some of the allegations about OPD, they brought it to our attention.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once the FBI received that information, Barclay said, agents approached Juarez for an interview.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was apparent that he was making allegations of corruption relating to the Duong family,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was apparent that he was making allegations of corruption relating to the Duong family,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106496\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg 1878w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-2000x2727.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-160x218.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1127x1536.jpg 1127w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1502x2048.jpg 1502w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mario Juarez, a cooperating witness for the government, sits on the sidewalk outside the California Waste Solutions’ Oakland waterfront office with a blanket over him as ambulance sits parked nearby, May 3, 2024. The photo was seized from Andy Duong’s cell phone.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106496\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mario Juarez, a cooperating witness for the government, sits on the sidewalk outside the California Waste Solutions’ Oakland waterfront office with a blanket over him as ambulance sits parked nearby, May 3, 2024. The photo was seized from Andy Duong’s cell phone.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Barclay said agents were concerned that if that information got back to the Duongs, they might take steps to destroy evidence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez sat down for his first interview with the FBI about a month after he called 911 to report the alleged assault and has since become a cooperating witness in the federal corruption case. He has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged scheme.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Juarez sat down for his first interview with the FBI about a month after he called 911 to report the alleged assault and has since become a cooperating witness in the federal corruption case. He has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged scheme.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In July 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25020077-july-10-2024-subpoena/\">subpoenaed the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, requesting internal Oakland Police Department phone number directories and lists from March to July that year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It also requested any police reports made by or involving members of the Duong family, including Andy Duong, David Duong, Kristina Duong and Johnny Duong, from April to July. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It also requested any police reports made by or involving members of the Duong family, including Andy Duong, David Duong, Kristina Duong and Johnny Duong, from April to July. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked about the 911 calls, a spokesperson for the Oakland Police Department said department personnel brought the allegations to the FBI and investigated the matters that fell within its own administrative authority. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The spokesperson declined to say what happened as a result of the investigation, or if any OPD personnel were charged or disciplined, citing a state law prohibiting the disclosure of most police personnel records. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Oakland Police Department takes allegations of misconduct by its members seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The department shared the information with the FBI, has cooperated with federal authorities since then, and continues to do so.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The spokesperson said, “Because Mr. Juarez is a witness in an ongoing federal criminal trial, the department will not comment on the substance of his statements.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The spokesperson said, “Because Mr. Juarez is a witness in an ongoing federal criminal trial, the department will not comment on the substance of his statements.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan said the agency cannot comment on the case at this time. Neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office responded to KQED’s questions about the calls or whether any officers have been charged. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan said the agency cannot comment on the case at this time. Neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office responded to KQED’s questions about the calls or whether any officers have been charged. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have called into question Juarez’s credibility and what they’ve described as his “decades-long history” of fraud. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have called into question Juarez’s credibility and what they’ve described as his “decades-long history” of fraud. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In court records filed in the lead-up to the trial, defense attorneys said Juarez had been sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They described a documented “counter-attack” history, including instances in which they say Juarez alleged misconduct by others in response to accusations or lawsuits lodged against him. Juarez, they said, “has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoing in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They described a documented “counter-attack” history, including instances in which they say Juarez alleged misconduct by others in response to accusations or lawsuits lodged against him. Juarez, they said, “has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoing in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An attorney for Andy Duong declined to comment on Juarez’s allegations in the 911 calls. Lawyers for David Duong and Doug Straus with Buchalter Law Firm, an attorney for California Waste Solutions, did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An attorney for Andy Duong declined to comment on Juarez’s allegations in the 911 calls. Lawyers for David Duong and Doug Straus with Buchalter Law Firm, an attorney for California Waste Solutions, did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘For your records when you get subpoenaed’ \u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The day that Juarez called 911 marked a breaking point in his yearslong relationship with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the fall of 2022, Juarez and the Duongs had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes — a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for people exiting homelessness and market them to Bay Area cities and counties looking to address the crisis. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the fall of 2022, Juarez and the Duongs had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes — a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for people exiting homelessness and market them to Bay Area cities and counties looking to address the crisis. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege that Thao agreed to commit the city of Oakland to purchasing housing units from Evolutionary Homes, in addition to other favors, as part of the alleged bribery scheme.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103338\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home development for people who are exiting homelessness. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103338\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home development for people who are exiting homelessness. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But in the spring of 2024, prosecutors say the relationship between the Duongs and Juarez began to deteriorate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That year, Andy Duong told an Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector that he and his father had invested $800,000 into a business venture with Juarez but ultimately fell victim to what they considered to be theft of their investment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez, they said, was supposed to deliver 50 container homes but had only produced two of them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Over the course of their involvement with him, Juarez continued to ask for more and more money for the project without being able to provide them receipts, etc.,” a July 2024 search warrant affidavit read, continuing, “the Duongs, now allegedly into the project for slightly over $1,000,000, decided to walk away from doing business with Juarez.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Over the course of their involvement with him, Juarez continued to ask for more and more money for the project without being able to provide them receipts, etc.,” a July 2024 search warrant affidavit read, continuing, “the Duongs, now allegedly into the project for slightly over $1,000,000, decided to walk away from doing business with Juarez.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When asked why deliveries were not being made, Juarez would make excuses about being close, or that worker or material costs [were] slowing things down,” Andy Duong told the inspector. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When asked why deliveries were not being made, Juarez would make excuses about being close, or that worker or material costs [were] slowing things down,” Andy Duong told the inspector. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a court filing, prosecutors say Juarez became frustrated by the Duongs not reimbursing him for what he said he had already spent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By late April, the tension in their relationship reached a breaking point. Juarez, prosecutors say, asked to dissolve the partnership, and the Duongs threatened legal action based on loans they had given Juarez.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, they say, Juarez threatened to go to law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an email on April 24, 2024, to David Duong, Andy Duong and others, Juarez said he was writing “for your records when you get subpoenaed by the FBI, City Attorneys, FPPC, and others,” the filing read.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an email on April 24, 2024, to David Duong, Andy Duong and others, Juarez said he was writing “for your records when you get subpoenaed by the FBI, City Attorneys, FPPC, and others,” the filing read.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘I want my money’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez and the Duongs disagree about what happened next. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to prosecutors, on May 3, 2024, Juarez arrived at the Evolutionary Homes office and discovered he had been locked out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an audio recording of the confrontation that followed, which was admitted as evidence in the trial on Friday, Juarez can be heard saying, “I want my money,” to which David Duong responded, “We want our $800,000 back.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg 1774w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prosecutors say they found a gold chain and watch in Andy Duong’s garage that Mario Juarez identified as belonging to him. Juarez, Andy Duong and David Duong had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a housing startup that’s at the center of an alleged bribery scheme involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, before the two had a falling out in the spring of 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Have you closed the business?” Juarez asks. “Yeah,” David Duong responded. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asst. U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine told the jury in the government’s opening statement that Andy Duong recorded the exchange.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When Juarez refused to leave, Duong turned off the recorder,” Fine said. “Some people showed up and beat up Juarez. They beat him, punched him.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I am reporting a felony assault,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They assaulted me this afternoon, and I just got home,” he told the dispatcher. “It was about ten people.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez said that the assault was “organized by Johnny Duong,” David Duong’s son and California Waste Solutions’ chief operating officer. Johnny Duong declined to comment on the allegations. A review of Alameda County and federal court records by KQED found no criminal charges against Johnny Duong related to the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Ma’am, I need to report a crime that I was a victim of,” Juarez said, explaining that he had just woken up from a beating the day before. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I got stomped in the head by ten people that were sent together by the owners of California Waste Solutions, which is the city of Oakland waste management contract,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez asked for a sergeant to respond, because the owners of the company “have tremendous influence with the police, with patrol officers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Because I know them,” Juarez said. “I know what they do. I know how they racketeer. I know how they launder money.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know how they \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/01/fbi-raids-oakland-police-chinatown/\">donate drones\u003c/a> to the police department,” Juarez said. “I know how they have police officers right now in their offices during their break, right now, today, right now. You have a patrol at 1211 Embarcadero on the third floor and saying that he’s at Starbucks. Do you see? Do you not have a patrol officer at 1211 Embarcadero?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m just trying to give you an idea of something that is so powerful that perhaps, you know …” he trailed off. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED has not substantiated Juarez’s allegations against Oakland police. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Andy Duong told the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector a different account of the events that day. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his version, Juarez showed up at California Waste Solutions on May 3, 2024, and confronted him and his father, claiming they still owed him money he needed to pay his workers in Mexico, where the company was purportedly building homes out of shipping containers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In his version, Juarez showed up at California Waste Solutions on May 3, 2024, and confronted him and his father, claiming they still owed him money he needed to pay his workers in Mexico, where the company was purportedly building homes out of shipping containers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the search warrant affidavit authored by the inspector, Andy Duong alleged Juarez “held them for hours demanding money.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They feared for their safety because he is known to carry weapons,” the affidavit read. “Juarez ultimately left without receiving any further money from the Duongs.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors on Friday showed a photo taken that day outside California Waste Solutions’ office, which was seized from Andy Duong’s phone. In the photo, Juarez can be seen sitting on the ground covered with a blanket while several people stand around him. An ambulance and stretcher are parked nearby. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104441\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Winston Chan (left), attorney for Andy Duong, gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Duong and co-defendants former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Court records show an Oakland police officer is expected to testify about his interactions with Andy Duong, David Duong and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer at California Waste Solutions, on the day Juarez placed the second 911 call, as well as a police report he authored documenting the Duongs’ descriptions of the confrontation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Court records show an Oakland police officer is expected to testify about his interactions with Andy Duong, David Duong and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer at California Waste Solutions, on the day Juarez placed the second 911 call, as well as a police report he authored documenting the Duongs’ descriptions of the confrontation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a recent court filing, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the recycling company’s headquarters on May 3, 2024, doesn’t exist. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a recent court filing, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the recycling company’s headquarters on May 3, 2024, doesn’t exist. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Juarez previously told the FBI he had seen members of the Duong family delete footage from the security system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Evidence that Juarez previously observed the deletion of footage from the surveillance system therefore is relevant to the jury’s assessment of why no corresponding footage exists for May 3, 2024,” the filing read. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Evidence that Juarez previously observed the deletion of footage from the surveillance system therefore is relevant to the jury’s assessment of why no corresponding footage exists for May 3, 2024,” the filing read. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Juarez went to the police, it marked the first time he talked to law enforcement about the Duongs, Fine said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About a month later, on June 6, 2024, Juarez sat down with the FBI for an interview. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two weeks after that, the FBI executed search warrants at Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong’s homes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the search of Andy Duong’s residence, Fine said agents discovered a watch and chain that Juarez identified as items stolen from him during the altercation with the Duongs. They were in a paper bag, Fine said, inside Andy Duong’s garage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the search of Andy Duong’s residence, Fine said agents discovered a watch and chain that Juarez identified as items stolen from him during the altercation with the Duongs. They were in a paper bag, Fine said, inside Andy Duong’s garage.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Two 911 calls from May 2024 furthered the FBI’s investigation into alleged public corruption that’s now the subject of a federal trial involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.\n",
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"title": "Exclusive: How a Brawl, 911 Calls Turned a Co-Conspirator Into a Government Witness in Thao Trial | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two 911 calls in May 2024 tipped off federal agents to a key development in an ongoing public corruption investigation that has since become the subject of a major federal criminal trial involving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s former mayor, Sheng Thao. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mario Juarez, a businessman and political operative, called police twice — on May 3, 2024, and again the following day — to report he had been assaulted at the Oakland waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions, the city’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of 10 men had beaten him up, he said, and the owners of the company brought those men together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It involves a crime of, high crime of racketeering and organized crime,” he said. “And it may involve police officers.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED obtained those calls through a public records request.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, FBI Special Agent Katherine Barclay said Juarez’s allegations against both the Duongs and police prompted the agency to contact him, setting in motion a series of events that would ultimately lead to the indictment of Thao and three others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, whose family owns California Waste Solutions, are facing charges of bribery, conspiracy and honest services mail and wire fraud in a federal corruption trial that kicked off this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors have described a pay-to-play scheme involving promises of preferential treatment for the Duongs’ businesses, a no-show job and negative campaign mailers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her testimony, Barclay said the FBI had been investigating a potential bribery scheme involving Juarez and the defendants for months when, in May 2024, the agency received information that was significant to its investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Oakland police] brought information to our attention that Juarez had made allegations against the Duong family and [the department] itself,” Barclay said. “Because of some of the allegations about OPD, they brought it to our attention.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the FBI received that information, Barclay said, agents approached Juarez for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It was apparent that he was making allegations of corruption relating to the Duong family,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1878\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106496\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-scaled.jpg 1878w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-2000x2727.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-160x218.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1127x1536.jpg 1127w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Trial-Exhibit-554-OAK-0225266-Jaurez-altercation-c138ae0b-1502x2048.jpg 1502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1878px) 100vw, 1878px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mario Juarez, a cooperating witness for the government, sits on the sidewalk outside the California Waste Solutions’ Oakland waterfront office with a blanket over him as ambulance sits parked nearby, May 3, 2024. The photo was seized from Andy Duong’s cell phone. (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay said agents were concerned that if that information got back to the Duongs, they might take steps to destroy evidence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez sat down for his first interview with the FBI about a month after he called 911 to report the alleged assault and has since become a cooperating witness in the federal corruption case. He has pleaded guilty to participating in the alleged scheme.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25020077-july-10-2024-subpoena/\">subpoenaed the city of Oakland\u003c/a>, requesting internal Oakland Police Department phone number directories and lists from March to July that year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also requested any police reports made by or involving members of the Duong family, including Andy Duong, David Duong, Kristina Duong and Johnny Duong, from April to July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked about the 911 calls, a spokesperson for the Oakland Police Department said department personnel brought the allegations to the FBI and investigated the matters that fell within its own administrative authority. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson declined to say what happened as a result of the investigation, or if any OPD personnel were charged or disciplined, citing a state law prohibiting the disclosure of most police personnel records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The Oakland Police Department takes allegations of misconduct by its members seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The department shared the information with the FBI, has cooperated with federal authorities since then, and continues to do so.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson said, “Because Mr. Juarez is a witness in an ongoing federal criminal trial, the department will not comment on the substance of his statements.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan said the agency cannot comment on the case at this time. Neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office responded to KQED’s questions about the calls or whether any officers have been charged. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys have called into question Juarez’s credibility and what they’ve described as his “decades-long history” of fraud. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In court records filed in the lead-up to the trial, defense attorneys said Juarez had been sued approximately 33 times between 1992 and 2022, including numerous fraud cases involving former business partners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They described a documented “counter-attack” history, including instances in which they say Juarez alleged misconduct by others in response to accusations or lawsuits lodged against him. Juarez, they said, “has repeatedly falsely accused business partners of crimes and other wrongdoing in efforts to escape liability for his own actions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An attorney for Andy Duong declined to comment on Juarez’s allegations in the 911 calls. Lawyers for David Duong and Doug Straus with Buchalter Law Firm, an attorney for California Waste Solutions, did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘For your records when you get subpoenaed’ \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day that Juarez called 911 marked a breaking point in his yearslong relationship with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the fall of 2022, Juarez and the Duongs had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes — a company that aimed to convert shipping containers into housing for people exiting homelessness and market them to Bay Area cities and counties looking to address the crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors allege that Thao agreed to commit the city of Oakland to purchasing housing units from Evolutionary Homes, in addition to other favors, as part of the alleged bribery scheme.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103338\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home development for people who are exiting homelessness. (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in the spring of 2024, prosecutors say the relationship between the Duongs and Juarez began to deteriorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That year, Andy Duong told an Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector that he and his father had invested $800,000 into a business venture with Juarez but ultimately fell victim to what they considered to be theft of their investment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez, they said, was supposed to deliver 50 container homes but had only produced two of them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Over the course of their involvement with him, Juarez continued to ask for more and more money for the project without being able to provide them receipts, etc.,” a July 2024 search warrant affidavit read, continuing, “the Duongs, now allegedly into the project for slightly over $1,000,000, decided to walk away from doing business with Juarez.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When asked why deliveries were not being made, Juarez would make excuses about being close, or that worker or material costs [were] slowing things down,” Andy Duong told the inspector. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a co-defendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a court filing, prosecutors say Juarez became frustrated by the Duongs not reimbursing him for what he said he had already spent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By late April, the tension in their relationship reached a breaking point. Juarez, prosecutors say, asked to dissolve the partnership, and the Duongs threatened legal action based on loans they had given Juarez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, they say, Juarez threatened to go to law enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an email on April 24, 2024, to David Duong, Andy Duong and others, Juarez said he was writing “for your records when you get subpoenaed by the FBI, City Attorneys, FPPC, and others,” the filing read.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘I want my money’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez and the Duongs disagree about what happened next. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to prosecutors, on May 3, 2024, Juarez arrived at the Evolutionary Homes office and discovered he had been locked out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an audio recording of the confrontation that followed, which was admitted as evidence in the trial on Friday, Juarez can be heard saying, “I want my money,” to which David Duong responded, “We want our $800,000 back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"1182\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f.jpg 1774w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/chain-watch_brightened-ec47ed5f-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prosecutors say they found a gold chain and watch in Andy Duong’s garage that Mario Juarez identified as belonging to him. Juarez, Andy Duong and David Duong had gone into business together on Evolutionary Homes, a housing startup that’s at the center of an alleged bribery scheme involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, before the two had a falling out in the spring of 2024. (Courtesy of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez can be heard insisting that he needs to get inside the office, while other people, including David Duong, offer to help get his stuff out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The “business is gone,” David Duong can be heard saying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Have you closed the business?” Juarez asks. “Yeah,” David Duong responded. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asst. U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine told the jury in the government’s opening statement that Andy Duong recorded the exchange.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When Juarez refused to leave, Duong turned off the recorder,” Fine said. “Some people showed up and beat up Juarez. They beat him, punched him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, Fine said, they took a watch and chain that Juarez “had worn for years.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same day, Juarez called 911. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I am reporting a felony assault,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Mario Juarez's Second Call to Oakland Police, Edited to Redact Juarez's Home Address",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They assaulted me this afternoon, and I just got home,” he told the dispatcher. “It was about ten people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez said that the assault was “organized by Johnny Duong,” David Duong’s son and California Waste Solutions’ chief operating officer. Johnny Duong declined to comment on the allegations. A review of Alameda County and federal court records by KQED found no criminal charges against Johnny Duong related to the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next day, when officers apparently still hadn’t responded, Juarez called 911 again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Ma’am, I need to report a crime that I was a victim of,” Juarez said, explaining that he had just woken up from a beating the day before. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I got stomped in the head by ten people that were sent together by the owners of California Waste Solutions, which is the city of Oakland waste management contract,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez asked for a sergeant to respond, because the owners of the company “have tremendous influence with the police, with patrol officers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispatcher asked Juarez for the name of the company again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez reiterated, “California Waste Solutions.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Because I know them,” Juarez said. “I know what they do. I know how they racketeer. I know how they launder money.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I know how they \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/01/fbi-raids-oakland-police-chinatown/\">donate drones\u003c/a> to the police department,” Juarez said. “I know how they have police officers right now in their offices during their break, right now, today, right now. You have a patrol at 1211 Embarcadero on the third floor and saying that he’s at Starbucks. Do you see? Do you not have a patrol officer at 1211 Embarcadero?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m just trying to give you an idea of something that is so powerful that perhaps, you know …” he trailed off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED has not substantiated Juarez’s allegations against Oakland police. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andy Duong told the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office inspector a different account of the events that day. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his version, Juarez showed up at California Waste Solutions on May 3, 2024, and confronted him and his father, claiming they still owed him money he needed to pay his workers in Mexico, where the company was purportedly building homes out of shipping containers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the search warrant affidavit authored by the inspector, Andy Duong alleged Juarez “held them for hours demanding money.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_016_qed-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They feared for their safety because he is known to carry weapons,” the affidavit read. “Juarez ultimately left without receiving any further money from the Duongs.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors on Friday showed a photo taken that day outside California Waste Solutions’ office, which was seized from Andy Duong’s phone. In the photo, Juarez can be seen sitting on the ground covered with a blanket while several people stand around him. An ambulance and stretcher are parked nearby. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winston Chan, one of Andy Duong’s attorneys, told jurors in his opening statement that Juarez showed up that day agitated and armed with a gun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chan said someone outside the Duong family punched Juarez in the face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What happened was, yes, an altercation,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104441\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch4_VB-KQED-e58e7c6d-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Winston Chan (left), attorney for Andy Duong, gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Duong and co-defendants former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not going to say that afternoon was handled well,” he said. “But this was the farthest thing from a preplanned ambush.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Court records show an Oakland police officer is expected to testify about his interactions with Andy Duong, David Duong and his sister Kristina Duong, chief financial officer at California Waste Solutions, on the day Juarez placed the second 911 call, as well as a police report he authored documenting the Duongs’ descriptions of the confrontation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent court filing, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the recycling company’s headquarters on May 3, 2024, doesn’t exist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juarez previously told the FBI he had seen members of the Duong family delete footage from the security system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Evidence that Juarez previously observed the deletion of footage from the surveillance system therefore is relevant to the jury’s assessment of why no corresponding footage exists for May 3, 2024,” the filing read. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Juarez went to the police, it marked the first time he talked to law enforcement about the Duongs, Fine said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About a month later, on June 6, 2024, Juarez sat down with the FBI for an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two weeks after that, the FBI executed search warrants at Thao, Jones and David and Andy Duong’s homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the search of Andy Duong’s residence, Fine said agents discovered a watch and chain that Juarez identified as items stolen from him during the altercation with the Duongs. They were in a paper bag, Fine said, inside Andy Duong’s garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-corruption-trial-fbi-agent-testimony-stretches-into-fifth-day",
"title": "Thao Trial: Defense Attorneys Poke Holes in FBI’s Oakland Corruption Investigation",
"publishDate": 1793118577,
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"headTitle": "Thao Trial: Defense Attorneys Poke Holes in FBI’s Oakland Corruption Investigation | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of four days in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103084/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-is-going-on-trial-for-bribery-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">federal corruption trial\u003c/a> of former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> Mayor Sheng Thao, an FBI agent’s testimony has allowed the court to admit thousands of pages of private texts, digital files and audio recordings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, defense attorneys tried to cast doubt on what the government believes that evidence proves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special FBI Agent Katherine Barclay completed her testimony on Tuesday, after providing nearly 20 hours of testimony. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong and his son Andy Duong face bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges for allegedly promising to trade campaign support for Thao’s mayoral campaign, and a $300,000 bribe for favorable treatment for the Duongs’ businesses and interests. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All four have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here’s what Barclay’s testimony and cross-examination revealed so far about the alleged quid pro quo:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who paid what for 2022 campaign mailers?\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense team called into question who paid for negative campaign mailers attacking Thao’s 2022 mayoral opponents, which prosecutors say are central to the alleged bribery scheme. Government attorneys have alleged the Duongs paid Mario Juarez, a former business partner, to produce them, pointing to a $75,000 payment that Andy Duong discussed with Juarez via text in October 2022 as evidence supporting their claim. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense attorney Erik Babcock pointed to expense filings that Juarez filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that indicate he spent a total of around $110,000 on two mailers attacking Thao’s opponents, Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098354\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong exits the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Sheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, was criminally indicted by a federal grand jury after an FBI corruption investigation that centered on City Hall and the powerful Duong family that operates the city’s curbside recycling program, a source familiar with the matter told the Chronicle. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“So he didn’t claim to have spent $75,000, did he?” Babcock asked the FBI agent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay confirmed that was not the total he wrote on his FPPC forms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman, an attorney for the prosecution, directed Barclay back to the document from Juarez’s iCloud account that lays out the alleged “Deal Points for Sheng Thao.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It includes two line items related to the mailers: a $75,000 payment from California Waste Solutions, and a separate $40,000 advance payment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That roughly adds up to $110,000, right?” she asked Barclay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Yes,” Barclay said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones’ Evolutionary Homes job wasn’t on his computer\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors also asked Barclay earlier in her testimony about a number of devices that the FBI confiscated during a series of early morning raids on June 20, 2024, which included the home Thao and Jones shared, both David and Andy Duong’s homes, and the waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the pieces of evidence was Jones’ laptop. On it, Barclay said, investigators found no references to Evolutionary Homes — a housing startup Andy Duong founded with Juarez — where Jones purported to work as a government relations specialist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between December 2022 and January 2023, Jones cashed five checks from Juarez totaling $20,000 for his work at the housing startup, according to a government indictment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in January 2024, Jones was not listed on an organizational chart for the company, which Cecilia Mendez, a former California Waste Solutions employee and Juarez’s onetime romantic partner, sent to the Duongs and others.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors say the multiple checks from Evolutionary Homes and another of Juarez’s companies, called Ciudad Holdings, were bribes, but Jones’ attorneys have characterized them as advances to “keep him available” to work as a consultant selling contracts to municipalities once their container homes were ready to be sold.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones’ attorney spent time during his opening statement pointing to Evolutionary Homes presentations that list him as an employee, as well as a note that indicates he was going to get business cards made by the company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his cross examination of Barclay on Tuesday, Jones’ attorney Mark Goldrosen pointed out that a contact page on the Evolutionary Homes website didn’t include a comprehensive list of employees — it didn’t have information for reaching Cecily Frost, an Evolutionary Homes representative, or Michael Duong, who he suggested was the company’s chief financial officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators did, however, find evidence on Jones’ computer that he worked for another company, called Kearns and West, a national communications firm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thao and Jones financial struggles come to light\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay’s testimony also allowed for the admission of a number of text exchanges between Thao and Jones regarding their bills. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of at least two years when they lived together, Thao sent messages to Jones multiple times reminding him to pay rent. At one point, their landlord told them that, after several months when Jones didn’t pay his portion of the rent on time, the couple would need to provide a cashier’s check, instead of using online deposits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the trial, prosecutors have raised questions about Jones’ financial status. In 2021 and 2022, Jones and Thao split rent payments or Thao paid them in their entirety. But beginning in January 2023, when Jones began receiving payments from Evolutionary Homes, he began to cover the couple’s monthly rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors have tried to link that shift — Jones’ payments toward his and Thao’s living expenses — to his receiving money for a “now-show” job from Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April 2022, Thao texted Jones: “I don’t have enough to cover rent by myself this month. Your mom hasn’t pitched in on any bills either.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May 2023, Thao texted Jones that PG&E wanted $6,000 to turn their power back on, and in another message from November 2023, she said: “Please don’t turn on heater, please turn off lights and electricity. The bill this month is 3000 I cannot pay that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home unit for people who are exiting homelessness. (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Nov. 29 of that year, Jones deposited a check from Evolutionary Homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Goldrosen tried to dispel prosecutors’ connection between Jones’ bill payment and checks from Evolutionary Homes. He asked Barclay if she had looked into Jones’ and Thao’s financial records to see if they paid a $3,000 bill to PG&E between Nov. 14, when Thao sent a text about that bill, and Nov. 29, when Jones deposited the check from Evolutionary homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Wouldn’t it have been important to see if any payments were made to that PG&E bill before the payment from Evolutionary Homes?” Goldrosen asked. “But you yourself didn’t look into that, did you?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay said she did not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barclay says Juarez accused others of bribes\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, Barclay told the court that in a series of interviews, Juarez alleged “that other local politicians had taken bribes.” Tsai then went on to ask her if the government had interviewed a number of current and former Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro elected officials. She said it had not, except in one case; that politician declined to be interviewed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED is not naming the elected officials, because the claims have not been substantiated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys have repeatedly attempted to discredit Juarez’s allegations to cast further doubt on Juarez as a witness. He’s been called a “consummate hustler” with a “decades-long history” of fraudulent behavior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong’s secret recordings enter the courtroom\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Barclay identified the voices in a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">phone calls\u003c/a> Andy Duong recorded with Thao, Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and others — many of which were seemingly recorded without their knowledge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jenkins previously told KQED it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the call because he is a government witness. Bas is also expected to testify later in the trial. Neither politician has been accused of wrongdoing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero, in Oakland, on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one phone conversation between Thao and Andy Duong in April 2019, made public in court filings \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">last month\u003c/a>, Thao told him about a confidential conversation the Oakland City Council had regarding a legal dispute with his family’s recycling company, California Waste Solutions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, Oakland sued the company for allegedly overcharging rate payers. The recycling vendor countersued, alleging Oakland breached its contract, and the parties settled in 2021 with California Waste Solutions \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/09/cws-oakland-lawsuit-recycling-contract-duong-fbi/\">agreeing to pay ratepayers $6 million\u003c/a> in alleged overcharges. The city of Oakland paid the company nearly $2 million and released it from agreements the company made to pay for waste studies and community outreach totaling about $1.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During that litigation, in 2019, Thao told Andy Duong that multiple council members had questions about a potential refund his family’s company could have been required to give ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, who was then a first-term city councilmember, advised Andy Duong on how to prepare for a meeting the following day: “This is what you guys need to do, OK? You guys need to prepare and talk amongst yourselves and how to figure out how to do this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a rally against her recall at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao goes on to say that she, Andy Duong, and others attending the meeting, who aren’t explicitly named, should meet in a private place for lunch, “because we don’t really want to be seen with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another call from September 2023, Thao tells Andy Duong that he and his business partners will have to “pick and choose” between her support and that of two council members at the time, Janani Ramachandran and Treva Reid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not f–king with those bitches, they don’t do me any favors at all,” Thao can be heard saying on the call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What comes next\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Barclay wrapped up her lengthy testimony, FBI intelligence analyst Katherine Higgons briefly testified Tuesday about participating in the June 20, 2024, search of Andy Duong’s house. She said she found a watch and chain in Andy Duong’s garage, which Juarez has alleged was stolen from him during a May 2024 altercation with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, Cecilia Mendez will testify. She is Juarez’s former romantic partner and an Evolutionary Homes representative. Prosecutors say she made a number of recordings of Evolutionary Homes board meetings they plan to play when she takes the stand. \u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
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"\n\u003cp>Over the course of four days in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103084/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-is-going-on-trial-for-bribery-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">federal corruption trial\u003c/a> of former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> Mayor Sheng Thao, an FBI agent’s testimony has allowed the court to admit thousands of pages of private texts, digital files and audio recordings.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Special FBI Agent Katherine Barclay completed her testimony on Tuesday, after providing nearly 20 hours of testimony. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong and his son Andy Duong face bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges for allegedly promising to trade campaign support for Thao’s mayoral campaign, and a $300,000 bribe for favorable treatment for the Duongs’ businesses and interests. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong and his son Andy Duong face bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges for allegedly promising to trade campaign support for Thao’s mayoral campaign, and a $300,000 bribe for favorable treatment for the Duongs’ businesses and interests. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Here’s what Barclay’s testimony and cross-examination revealed so far about the alleged quid pro quo:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Here’s what Barclay’s testimony and cross-examination revealed so far about the alleged quid pro quo:\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Who paid what for 2022 campaign mailers? ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who paid what for 2022 campaign mailers?\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who paid what for 2022 campaign mailers?\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense team called into question who paid for negative campaign mailers attacking Thao’s 2022 mayoral opponents, which prosecutors say are central to the alleged bribery scheme. Government attorneys have alleged the Duongs paid Mario Juarez, a former business partner, to produce them, pointing to a $75,000 payment that Andy Duong discussed with Juarez via text in October 2022 as evidence supporting their claim. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense team called into question who paid for negative campaign mailers attacking Thao’s 2022 mayoral opponents, which prosecutors say are central to the alleged bribery scheme. Government attorneys have alleged the Duongs paid Mario Juarez, a former business partner, to produce them, pointing to a $75,000 payment that Andy Duong discussed with Juarez via text in October 2022 as evidence supporting their claim. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But on Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense attorney Erik Babcock pointed to expense filings that Juarez filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that indicate he spent a total of around $110,000 on two mailers attacking Thao’s opponents, Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But on Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense attorney Erik Babcock pointed to expense filings that Juarez filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that indicate he spent a total of around $110,000 on two mailers attacking Thao’s opponents, Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098354\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong exits the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Sheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, was criminally indicted by a federal grand jury after an FBI corruption investigation that centered on City Hall and the powerful Duong family that operates the city’s curbside recycling program, a source familiar with the matter told the Chronicle.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098354\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong exits the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Sheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, was criminally indicted by a federal grand jury after an FBI corruption investigation that centered on City Hall and the powerful Duong family that operates the city’s curbside recycling program, a source familiar with the matter told the Chronicle.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So he didn’t claim to have spent $75,000, did he?” Babcock asked the FBI agent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Later, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman, an attorney for the prosecution, directed Barclay back to the document from Juarez’s iCloud account that lays out the alleged “Deal Points for Sheng Thao.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It includes two line items related to the mailers: a $75,000 payment from California Waste Solutions, and a separate $40,000 advance payment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That roughly adds up to $110,000, right?” she asked Barclay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Andre Jones’ Evolutionary Homes job wasn’t on his computer",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones’ Evolutionary Homes job wasn’t on his computer\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones’ Evolutionary Homes job wasn’t on his computer\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors also asked Barclay earlier in her testimony about a number of devices that the FBI confiscated during a series of early morning raids on June 20, 2024, which included the home Thao and Jones shared, both David and Andy Duong’s homes, and the waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the pieces of evidence was Jones’ laptop. On it, Barclay said, investigators found no references to Evolutionary Homes — a housing startup Andy Duong founded with Juarez — where Jones purported to work as a government relations specialist. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the pieces of evidence was Jones’ laptop. On it, Barclay said, investigators found no references to Evolutionary Homes — a housing startup Andy Duong founded with Juarez — where Jones purported to work as a government relations specialist. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Between December 2022 and January 2023, Jones cashed five checks from Juarez totaling $20,000 for his work at the housing startup, according to a government indictment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Between December 2022 and January 2023, Jones cashed five checks from Juarez totaling $20,000 for his work at the housing startup, according to a government indictment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But in January 2024, Jones was not listed on an organizational chart for the company, which Cecilia Mendez, a former California Waste Solutions employee and Juarez’s onetime romantic partner, sent to the Duongs and others.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But in January 2024, Jones was not listed on an organizational chart for the company, which Cecilia Mendez, a former California Waste Solutions employee and Juarez’s onetime romantic partner, sent to the Duongs and others.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors say the multiple checks from Evolutionary Homes and another of Juarez’s companies, called Ciudad Holdings, were bribes, but Jones’ attorneys have characterized them as advances to “keep him available” to work as a consultant selling contracts to municipalities once their container homes were ready to be sold.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors say the multiple checks from Evolutionary Homes and another of Juarez’s companies, called Ciudad Holdings, were bribes, but Jones’ attorneys have characterized them as advances to “keep him available” to work as a consultant selling contracts to municipalities once their container homes were ready to be sold.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jones’ attorney spent time during his opening statement pointing to Evolutionary Homes presentations that list him as an employee, as well as a note that indicates he was going to get business cards made by the company. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jones’ attorney spent time during his opening statement pointing to Evolutionary Homes presentations that list him as an employee, as well as a note that indicates he was going to get business cards made by the company. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During his cross examination of Barclay on Tuesday, Jones’ attorney Mark Goldrosen pointed out that a contact page on the Evolutionary Homes website didn’t include a comprehensive list of employees — it didn’t have information for reaching Cecily Frost, an Evolutionary Homes representative, or Michael Duong, who he suggested was the company’s chief financial officer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During his cross examination of Barclay on Tuesday, Jones’ attorney Mark Goldrosen pointed out that a contact page on the Evolutionary Homes website didn’t include a comprehensive list of employees — it didn’t have information for reaching Cecily Frost, an Evolutionary Homes representative, or Michael Duong, who he suggested was the company’s chief financial officer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Investigators did, however, find evidence on Jones’ computer that he worked for another company, called Kearns and West, a national communications firm.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Investigators did, however, find evidence on Jones’ computer that he worked for another company, called Kearns and West, a national communications firm.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Barclay’s testimony also allowed for the admission of a number of text exchanges between Thao and Jones regarding their bills. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the course of at least two years when they lived together, Thao sent messages to Jones multiple times reminding him to pay rent. At one point, their landlord told them that, after several months when Jones didn’t pay his portion of the rent on time, the couple would need to provide a cashier’s check, instead of using online deposits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Over the course of at least two years when they lived together, Thao sent messages to Jones multiple times reminding him to pay rent. At one point, their landlord told them that, after several months when Jones didn’t pay his portion of the rent on time, the couple would need to provide a cashier’s check, instead of using online deposits. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Throughout the trial, prosecutors have raised questions about Jones’ financial status. In 2021 and 2022, Jones and Thao split rent payments or Thao paid them in their entirety. But beginning in January 2023, when Jones began receiving payments from Evolutionary Homes, he began to cover the couple’s monthly rent payments.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Throughout the trial, prosecutors have raised questions about Jones’ financial status. In 2021 and 2022, Jones and Thao split rent payments or Thao paid them in their entirety. But beginning in January 2023, when Jones began receiving payments from Evolutionary Homes, he began to cover the couple’s monthly rent payments.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have tried to link that shift — Jones’ payments toward his and Thao’s living expenses — to his receiving money for a “now-show” job from Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have tried to link that shift — Jones’ payments toward his and Thao’s living expenses — to his receiving money for a “now-show” job from Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In April 2022, Thao texted Jones: “I don’t have enough to cover rent by myself this month. Your mom hasn’t pitched in on any bills either.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In April 2022, Thao texted Jones: “I don’t have enough to cover rent by myself this month. Your mom hasn’t pitched in on any bills either.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May 2023, Thao texted Jones that PG&E wanted $6,000 to turn their power back on, and in another message from November 2023, she said: “Please don’t turn on heater, please turn off lights and electricity. The bill this month is 3000 I cannot pay that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In May 2023, Thao texted Jones that PG&E wanted $6,000 to turn their power back on, and in another message from November 2023, she said: “Please don’t turn on heater, please turn off lights and electricity. The bill this month is 3000 I cannot pay that.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home unit for people who are exiting homelessness. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103337\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home unit for people who are exiting homelessness. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Nov. 29 of that year, Jones deposited a check from Evolutionary Homes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Nov. 29 of that year, Jones deposited a check from Evolutionary Homes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Goldrosen tried to dispel prosecutors’ connection between Jones’ bill payment and checks from Evolutionary Homes. He asked Barclay if she had looked into Jones’ and Thao’s financial records to see if they paid a $3,000 bill to PG&E between Nov. 14, when Thao sent a text about that bill, and Nov. 29, when Jones deposited the check from Evolutionary homes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Goldrosen tried to dispel prosecutors’ connection between Jones’ bill payment and checks from Evolutionary Homes. He asked Barclay if she had looked into Jones’ and Thao’s financial records to see if they paid a $3,000 bill to PG&E between Nov. 14, when Thao sent a text about that bill, and Nov. 29, when Jones deposited the check from Evolutionary homes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Wouldn’t it have been important to see if any payments were made to that PG&E bill before the payment from Evolutionary Homes?” Goldrosen asked. “But you yourself didn’t look into that, did you?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Wouldn’t it have been important to see if any payments were made to that PG&E bill before the payment from Evolutionary Homes?” Goldrosen asked. “But you yourself didn’t look into that, did you?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Barclay said she did not. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Barclay said she did not. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Barclay says Juarez accused others of bribes",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barclay says Juarez accused others of bribes\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barclay says Juarez accused others of bribes\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Monday, Barclay told the court that in a series of interviews, Juarez alleged “that other local politicians had taken bribes.” Tsai then went on to ask her if the government had interviewed a number of current and former Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro elected officials. She said it had not, except in one case; that politician declined to be interviewed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Monday, Barclay told the court that in a series of interviews, Juarez alleged “that other local politicians had taken bribes.” Tsai then went on to ask her if the government had interviewed a number of current and former Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro elected officials. She said it had not, except in one case; that politician declined to be interviewed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED is not naming the elected officials, because the claims have not been substantiated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED is not naming the elected officials, because the claims have not been substantiated. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have repeatedly attempted to discredit Juarez’s allegations to cast further doubt on Juarez as a witness. He’s been called a “consummate hustler” with a “decades-long history” of fraudulent behavior.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Defense attorneys have repeatedly attempted to discredit Juarez’s allegations to cast further doubt on Juarez as a witness. He’s been called a “consummate hustler” with a “decades-long history” of fraudulent behavior.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Andy Duong’s secret recordings enter the courtroom",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong’s secret recordings enter the courtroom\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong’s secret recordings enter the courtroom\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last week, Barclay identified the voices in a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">phone calls\u003c/a> Andy Duong recorded with Thao, Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and others — many of which were seemingly recorded without their knowledge. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Last week, Barclay identified the voices in a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">phone calls\u003c/a> Andy Duong recorded with Thao, Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and others — many of which were seemingly recorded without their knowledge. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jenkins previously told KQED it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the call because he is a government witness. Bas is also expected to testify later in the trial. Neither politician has been accused of wrongdoing. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Jenkins previously told KQED it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the call because he is a government witness. Bas is also expected to testify later in the trial. Neither politician has been accused of wrongdoing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero, in Oakland, on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098817\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero, in Oakland, on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In one phone conversation between Thao and Andy Duong in April 2019, made public in court filings \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">last month\u003c/a>, Thao told him about a confidential conversation the Oakland City Council had regarding a legal dispute with his family’s recycling company, California Waste Solutions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In one phone conversation between Thao and Andy Duong in April 2019, made public in court filings \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">last month\u003c/a>, Thao told him about a confidential conversation the Oakland City Council had regarding a legal dispute with his family’s recycling company, California Waste Solutions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2017, Oakland sued the company for allegedly overcharging rate payers. The recycling vendor countersued, alleging Oakland breached its contract, and the parties settled in 2021 with California Waste Solutions \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/09/cws-oakland-lawsuit-recycling-contract-duong-fbi/\">agreeing to pay ratepayers $6 million\u003c/a> in alleged overcharges. The city of Oakland paid the company nearly $2 million and released it from agreements the company made to pay for waste studies and community outreach totaling about $1.5 million.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2017, Oakland sued the company for allegedly overcharging rate payers. The recycling vendor countersued, alleging Oakland breached its contract, and the parties settled in 2021 with California Waste Solutions \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/09/cws-oakland-lawsuit-recycling-contract-duong-fbi/\">agreeing to pay ratepayers $6 million\u003c/a> in alleged overcharges. The city of Oakland paid the company nearly $2 million and released it from agreements the company made to pay for waste studies and community outreach totaling about $1.5 million.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During that litigation, in 2019, Thao told Andy Duong that multiple council members had questions about a potential refund his family’s company could have been required to give ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>During that litigation, in 2019, Thao told Andy Duong that multiple council members had questions about a potential refund his family’s company could have been required to give ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao, who was then a first-term city councilmember, advised Andy Duong on how to prepare for a meeting the following day: “This is what you guys need to do, OK? You guys need to prepare and talk amongst yourselves and how to figure out how to do this.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Thao, who was then a first-term city councilmember, advised Andy Duong on how to prepare for a meeting the following day: “This is what you guys need to do, OK? You guys need to prepare and talk amongst yourselves and how to figure out how to do this.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a rally against her recall at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103152\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a rally against her recall at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao goes on to say that she, Andy Duong, and others attending the meeting, who aren’t explicitly named, should meet in a private place for lunch, “because we don’t really want to be seen with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thao goes on to say that she, Andy Duong, and others attending the meeting, who aren’t explicitly named, should meet in a private place for lunch, “because we don’t really want to be seen with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In another call from September 2023, Thao tells Andy Duong that he and his business partners will have to “pick and choose” between her support and that of two council members at the time, Janani Ramachandran and Treva Reid. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In another call from September 2023, Thao tells Andy Duong that he and his business partners will have to “pick and choose” between her support and that of two council members at the time, Janani Ramachandran and Treva Reid. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m not f–king with those bitches, they don’t do me any favors at all,” Thao can be heard saying on the call.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I’m not f–king with those bitches, they don’t do me any favors at all,” Thao can be heard saying on the call.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What comes next",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Barclay wrapped up her lengthy testimony, FBI intelligence analyst Katherine Higgons briefly testified Tuesday about participating in the June 20, 2024, search of Andy Duong’s house. She said she found a watch and chain in Andy Duong’s garage, which Juarez has alleged was stolen from him during a May 2024 altercation with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Barclay wrapped up her lengthy testimony, FBI intelligence analyst Katherine Higgons briefly testified Tuesday about participating in the June 20, 2024, search of Andy Duong’s house. She said she found a watch and chain in Andy Duong’s garage, which Juarez has alleged was stolen from him during a May 2024 altercation with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Cecilia Mendez will testify. She is Juarez’s former romantic partner and an Evolutionary Homes representative. Prosecutors say she made a number of recordings of Evolutionary Homes board meetings they plan to play when she takes the stand. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Cecilia Mendez will testify. She is Juarez’s former romantic partner and an Evolutionary Homes representative. Prosecutors say she made a number of recordings of Evolutionary Homes board meetings they plan to play when she takes the stand. \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "After prosecutors introduced thousands of pages of private text messages, recorded phone calls and digital files, defense attorneys tried to poke holes in what the government believes the evidence proves.",
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"title": "Thao Trial: Defense Attorneys Poke Holes in FBI’s Oakland Corruption Investigation | KQED",
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"headline": "Thao Trial: Defense Attorneys Poke Holes in FBI’s Oakland Corruption Investigation",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of four days in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103084/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-is-going-on-trial-for-bribery-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">federal corruption trial\u003c/a> of former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> Mayor Sheng Thao, an FBI agent’s testimony has allowed the court to admit thousands of pages of private texts, digital files and audio recordings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, defense attorneys tried to cast doubt on what the government believes that evidence proves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special FBI Agent Katherine Barclay completed her testimony on Tuesday, after providing nearly 20 hours of testimony. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong and his son Andy Duong face bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges for allegedly promising to trade campaign support for Thao’s mayoral campaign, and a $300,000 bribe for favorable treatment for the Duongs’ businesses and interests. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All four have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here’s what Barclay’s testimony and cross-examination revealed so far about the alleged quid pro quo:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who paid what for 2022 campaign mailers?\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense team called into question who paid for negative campaign mailers attacking Thao’s 2022 mayoral opponents, which prosecutors say are central to the alleged bribery scheme. Government attorneys have alleged the Duongs paid Mario Juarez, a former business partner, to produce them, pointing to a $75,000 payment that Andy Duong discussed with Juarez via text in October 2022 as evidence supporting their claim. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on Tuesday, Andy Duong’s defense attorney Erik Babcock pointed to expense filings that Juarez filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission that indicate he spent a total of around $110,000 on two mailers attacking Thao’s opponents, Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098354\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-16-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong exits the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Sheng Thao, the former mayor of Oakland, was criminally indicted by a federal grand jury after an FBI corruption investigation that centered on City Hall and the powerful Duong family that operates the city’s curbside recycling program, a source familiar with the matter told the Chronicle. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“So he didn’t claim to have spent $75,000, did he?” Babcock asked the FBI agent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay confirmed that was not the total he wrote on his FPPC forms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman, an attorney for the prosecution, directed Barclay back to the document from Juarez’s iCloud account that lays out the alleged “Deal Points for Sheng Thao.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It includes two line items related to the mailers: a $75,000 payment from California Waste Solutions, and a separate $40,000 advance payment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That roughly adds up to $110,000, right?” she asked Barclay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Yes,” Barclay said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones’ Evolutionary Homes job wasn’t on his computer\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors also asked Barclay earlier in her testimony about a number of devices that the FBI confiscated during a series of early morning raids on June 20, 2024, which included the home Thao and Jones shared, both David and Andy Duong’s homes, and the waterfront offices of California Waste Solutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the pieces of evidence was Jones’ laptop. On it, Barclay said, investigators found no references to Evolutionary Homes — a housing startup Andy Duong founded with Juarez — where Jones purported to work as a government relations specialist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between December 2022 and January 2023, Jones cashed five checks from Juarez totaling $20,000 for his work at the housing startup, according to a government indictment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in January 2024, Jones was not listed on an organizational chart for the company, which Cecilia Mendez, a former California Waste Solutions employee and Juarez’s onetime romantic partner, sent to the Duongs and others.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors say the multiple checks from Evolutionary Homes and another of Juarez’s companies, called Ciudad Holdings, were bribes, but Jones’ attorneys have characterized them as advances to “keep him available” to work as a consultant selling contracts to municipalities once their container homes were ready to be sold.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones’ attorney spent time during his opening statement pointing to Evolutionary Homes presentations that list him as an employee, as well as a note that indicates he was going to get business cards made by the company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his cross examination of Barclay on Tuesday, Jones’ attorney Mark Goldrosen pointed out that a contact page on the Evolutionary Homes website didn’t include a comprehensive list of employees — it didn’t have information for reaching Cecily Frost, an Evolutionary Homes representative, or Michael Duong, who he suggested was the company’s chief financial officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators did, however, find evidence on Jones’ computer that he worked for another company, called Kearns and West, a national communications firm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thao and Jones financial struggles come to light\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay’s testimony also allowed for the admission of a number of text exchanges between Thao and Jones regarding their bills. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of at least two years when they lived together, Thao sent messages to Jones multiple times reminding him to pay rent. At one point, their landlord told them that, after several months when Jones didn’t pay his portion of the rent on time, the couple would need to provide a cashier’s check, instead of using online deposits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the trial, prosecutors have raised questions about Jones’ financial status. In 2021 and 2022, Jones and Thao split rent payments or Thao paid them in their entirety. But beginning in January 2023, when Jones began receiving payments from Evolutionary Homes, he began to cover the couple’s monthly rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prosecutors have tried to link that shift — Jones’ payments toward his and Thao’s living expenses — to his receiving money for a “now-show” job from Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April 2022, Thao texted Jones: “I don’t have enough to cover rent by myself this month. Your mom hasn’t pitched in on any bills either.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May 2023, Thao texted Jones that PG&E wanted $6,000 to turn their power back on, and in another message from November 2023, she said: “Please don’t turn on heater, please turn off lights and electricity. The bill this month is 3000 I cannot pay that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/Evolutionary_Homes_PROJECT_PRESENTATION_-_EHLLC_Model_ONE-copy-2-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Evolutionary Homes’ rendering of a proposed container home unit for people who are exiting homelessness. (Courtesy of Evolutionary Homes)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Nov. 29 of that year, Jones deposited a check from Evolutionary Homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Goldrosen tried to dispel prosecutors’ connection between Jones’ bill payment and checks from Evolutionary Homes. He asked Barclay if she had looked into Jones’ and Thao’s financial records to see if they paid a $3,000 bill to PG&E between Nov. 14, when Thao sent a text about that bill, and Nov. 29, when Jones deposited the check from Evolutionary homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Wouldn’t it have been important to see if any payments were made to that PG&E bill before the payment from Evolutionary Homes?” Goldrosen asked. “But you yourself didn’t look into that, did you?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay said she did not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Barclay says Juarez accused others of bribes\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, Barclay told the court that in a series of interviews, Juarez alleged “that other local politicians had taken bribes.” Tsai then went on to ask her if the government had interviewed a number of current and former Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro elected officials. She said it had not, except in one case; that politician declined to be interviewed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KQED is not naming the elected officials, because the claims have not been substantiated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys have repeatedly attempted to discredit Juarez’s allegations to cast further doubt on Juarez as a witness. He’s been called a “consummate hustler” with a “decades-long history” of fraudulent behavior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong’s secret recordings enter the courtroom\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Barclay identified the voices in a series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">phone calls\u003c/a> Andy Duong recorded with Thao, Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and others — many of which were seemingly recorded without their knowledge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jenkins previously told KQED it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the call because he is a government witness. Bas is also expected to testify later in the trial. Neither politician has been accused of wrongdoing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/090826_ShengThao-Trial-File_GH_011_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California Waste Solutions headquarters at 1211 Embarcadero, in Oakland, on Sept. 8, 2026. The company provides curbside recycling service in Oakland. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one phone conversation between Thao and Andy Duong in April 2019, made public in court filings \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101387/sheng-thao-case-recordings-reveal-taped-phone-calls-fbi-informant-appearing-to-describe-bribes\">last month\u003c/a>, Thao told him about a confidential conversation the Oakland City Council had regarding a legal dispute with his family’s recycling company, California Waste Solutions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, Oakland sued the company for allegedly overcharging rate payers. The recycling vendor countersued, alleging Oakland breached its contract, and the parties settled in 2021 with California Waste Solutions \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2024/08/09/cws-oakland-lawsuit-recycling-contract-duong-fbi/\">agreeing to pay ratepayers $6 million\u003c/a> in alleged overcharges. The city of Oakland paid the company nearly $2 million and released it from agreements the company made to pay for waste studies and community outreach totaling about $1.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During that litigation, in 2019, Thao told Andy Duong that multiple council members had questions about a potential refund his family’s company could have been required to give ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao, who was then a first-term city councilmember, advised Andy Duong on how to prepare for a meeting the following day: “This is what you guys need to do, OK? You guys need to prepare and talk amongst yourselves and how to figure out how to do this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/241015-OaklandChinatownThaoRecall-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during a rally against her recall at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thao goes on to say that she, Andy Duong, and others attending the meeting, who aren’t explicitly named, should meet in a private place for lunch, “because we don’t really want to be seen with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another call from September 2023, Thao tells Andy Duong that he and his business partners will have to “pick and choose” between her support and that of two council members at the time, Janani Ramachandran and Treva Reid. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not f–king with those bitches, they don’t do me any favors at all,” Thao can be heard saying on the call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What comes next\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Barclay wrapped up her lengthy testimony, FBI intelligence analyst Katherine Higgons briefly testified Tuesday about participating in the June 20, 2024, search of Andy Duong’s house. She said she found a watch and chain in Andy Duong’s garage, which Juarez has alleged was stolen from him during a May 2024 altercation with the Duongs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, Cecilia Mendez will testify. She is Juarez’s former romantic partner and an Evolutionary Homes representative. Prosecutors say she made a number of recordings of Evolutionary Homes board meetings they plan to play when she takes the stand. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "former-benicia-elementary-teacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-his-students",
"title": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students",
"publishDate": 1792798830,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A Solano County jury found Matthew Shelton guilty of sexually abusing Benicia students. He was acquitted of similar allegations in Napa.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "despite-the-evidence-contra-costa-countys-sheriff-coroner-called-her-death-a-suicide",
"title": "Despite the Evidence, Contra Costa County’s Sheriff-Coroner Called Her Death a Suicide",
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"headTitle": "Despite the Evidence, Contra Costa County’s Sheriff-Coroner Called Her Death a Suicide | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A man who once ran for mayor of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/antioch\">Antioch\u003c/a> will stand trial for the murder of his wife more than a decade after he told police she killed herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a preliminary hearing Oct. 16, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge H. Glenn Kim found there was probable cause to show that Michael Leon, 68, shot and killed Brenda Leon, 52, in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key evidence presented in court was found in electronics seized from the family home roughly two weeks after Brenda’s death. A suicide note found on Brenda’s computer was written on Michael’s laptop, then transferred to Brenda’s computer on the morning of her death, according to a forensic analysis by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael, who is in jail awaiting trial, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Matt Cuthbertson, said his client was “disappointed” in the judge’s decision and looks forward to a jury trial where he will be “afforded proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the courtroom, Brenda and Michael Leon’s daughters appeared frail and shaken; both declined to comment. Matt Guichard, an attorney who is representing the daughters in a civil suit against Michael Leon, told KQED, “ You’re sitting in a courtroom discussing the death of your mother, and seeing your father, the accused, in the same courtroom. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Loved ones of murder victim, Brenda Leon, outside the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That Michael Leon will stand trial for murder more than a decade after his wife died underscores an ongoing debate in California about the reliability of death investigations in counties such as Contra Costa, where the sheriff is also the coroner. Critics say the sheriff-coroner arrangement is prone to conflicts of interest and can — intentionally or otherwise — undercut the medical expertise that’s standard in other death-investigation systems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these counties, the sheriff-coroner must consult with a forensic pathologist on the medical cause of death — such as a gunshot wound or heart attack — in sudden, violent or unnatural cases. But the sheriff-coroner, who typically has no medical training, has the last word on the \u003cem>manner\u003c/em> of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. In Brenda Leon’s case, the sheriff-coroner determined that the manner of her death was suicide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An analysis by the California Newsroom found that 48 of the state’s 58 counties use a sheriff-coroner system. More than 19 million people — nearly half of California’s population — live under a combined sheriff-coroner office, according to the 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about.html\">American Community Survey\u003c/a> and other publicly available data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That leaves just six counties — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Ventura — where a licensed physician and surgeon with board certification in pathology, known as a medical examiner, investigates the cause and manner of deaths. (The remaining four counties appoint or vote for their coroners, who don’t have to be medical professionals.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yOWuq/3/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California, along with Montana and Nevada, are the only three states where county officials can choose a sheriff-coroner system, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/impacts-governing-agency-comparison-resources-patchwork-medicolegal-death\">A 2024 federal survey\u003c/a> of death investigation systems across the United States found that standalone medical examiners or coroners conduct the most efficient and high-quality investigations, in part because they can “make operating decisions without having to balance competing priorities or influences.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics say there’s an inherent conflict of interest in having sheriffs determine the manner of deaths in the jails they run or when a civilian dies as a result of an officer’s actions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11634689/autopsy-doctors-sheriff-overrode-death-findings-to-protect-law-enforcement\">two forensic pathologists accused\u003c/a> then-San Joaquin County Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore of overriding their opinions in death investigations to shield himself and other law enforcement officers from prosecution. County supervisors later voted to replace the sheriff-coroner’s office with an independent medical examiner’s office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Riverside County jail deaths reached a two-decade high in 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation, which is ongoing. In the meantime, state legislators passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1379\">a law\u003c/a> this year to take coroner duties away from the Riverside County Sheriff’s department and install an independent medical examiner by next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1108/id/3209248\">new law\u003c/a>, prompted by a string of deputy-involved deaths in Santa Barbara County jails, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It requires counties with sheriff-coroners to ask another county with a medical examiner or standalone coroner, or an independent forensic pathologist, to determine both cause and manner of in-custody deaths. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Chad Bianco, who is also president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, told KQED that both bills, “[weren’t] about just getting it away from the jurisdiction of the place where the death occurred.” The bills were driven, he said, by liberal politicians “making sheriffs appear to be corrupt in the eyes of the public.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics say there’s also the issue of who is qualified to manage forensic procedures such as autopsies and tissue analyses. While sheriff-coroners work with licensed physicians who draw conclusions based on science, skeptics are troubled that a sheriff-coroner has the final say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Having someone with no medical expertise running the show,” said Justin Feldman, a social epidemiologist with the Center for Policing Equity at Yale, “How are they even going to judge whether or not their procedures are up to standard?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianco bristled at the idea and suggested he’d defer to medical professionals. “If I didn’t have 100% confidence in my chief pathologist,” he said, “they wouldn’t be the chief pathologist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How a suspicious death investigation stalled \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The murder case against Michael Leon would not have wound up in court last week if not for the perseverance of Brenda’s family. Her parents and two daughters never believed she had killed herself and fought for more than a decade to prove it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Antioch Police Department denied KQED’s request for records or interviews, but a KQED analysis of the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner’s report, death certificates and court documents shows that evidence pointed to a homicide from the start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deputy-Coroner Waimun Wong, with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, led the agency’s investigation of Brenda’s death. Michael Leon told Antioch police that he found his wife lying in bed deceased, still holding the gun, according to Wong’s report. It also indicated that Brenda’s laptop was at the foot of the bed, which police said contained a suicide note.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105257\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Family and friends of murder victim Brenda Leon leaving a preliminary hearing at the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to court documents, Wong later told a police detective that he’d found no gunshot residue on Brenda’s hands, which he considered odd; typically, when a person shoots themself, there would be some residue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leon’s two adult daughters told the detective they suspected their father was responsible, according to court filings. They described his mood swings and explosive temper, and said they believed he was capable of murder. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most significantly, the detective discovered that the suicide note on Brenda’s laptop had been transferred there from a USB drive that was not found inside the house.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wong kept Brenda’s manner of death “unassigned” pending a forensic analysis of other electronics seized in the home, the coroner’s report said. But he closed the case while the analysis was underway and called it a suicide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, like all California sheriff-coroners, has the last word on the manner of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office declined KQED’s request for comment, as did Wong, who retired in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a KQED review of Wong’s report shows that his determination contradicted two significant forensic findings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Arnold Josselson, the consulting forensic pathologist for the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner, confirmed that Brenda Leon died of a gunshot wound to the head. But in his report, he also noted a key detail: While most self-inflicted gunshots leave soot and tiny abrasions or burns, known as stippling, around the wound, Josselson wrote that there was “no soot or stippling.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105780\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Guichard, an attorney representing Brenda Leon’s daughters in a wrongful death suit, attends a preliminary hearing in the criminal case against their father, Michael Leon, on Oct. 16, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That discovery, coupled with the lack of gunshot residue on Brenda’s hand, stood out to Matt Guichard, an attorney who Brenda’s daughters had contacted on the advice of a friend. Guichard had spent seven years as a deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County in charge of the homicide unit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It didn’t add up,” Guichard told KQED. “If you put a gun to your head, you will have a circle where the barrel imprints itself.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He subpoenaed police records, including the electronic evidence that investigators had gathered shortly after Brenda’s death, and shared his findings with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The DA revived the case, and Michael Leon was arrested Jan. 22, nearly 11 years after Brenda’s death.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next court date is set for Nov. 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg\" alt=\"Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepali at a preliminary hearing Oct. 16 for Micheal Leon to stand trial for the 2015 murder of his wife Brenda Leon.\" class=\"wp-image-12105261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepalli (right) leaves a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16 in the case of Michael Leon, who faces charges for the 2015 murder of his wife, Brenda Leon. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge’s decision to move the case to trial was encouraging to Gael Strack, a former San Diego County prosecutor who founded Alliance for HOPE International, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic violence victims and their families. In 2022, Strack helped pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB989/id/3023396\">a state law\u003c/a> that requires law enforcement agencies to investigate further when a victim of domestic violence dies by an apparent suicide or accident. She and her colleagues identified roughly a dozen deaths in California that they believe were misclassified as suicides or accidents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strack said getting sheriff-coroners to reconsider closed cases has been especially challenging. “The laws do not protect family members as much as they protect sheriff-coroners,” she said. “They have total discretion on whether to investigate further or to change a death certificate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guichard echoed Strack’s concerns. “If not for reading the coroner’s report and seeing the electronics, this never would have been uncovered,” he said. “There are lots of questionable deaths that don’t get the thorough investigations they deserve.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Data Journalist Emily Zentner of The California Newsroom contributed data analysis to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This story was published with support from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>The California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state with NPR as its national partner. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At a preliminary hearing Oct. 16, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge H. Glenn Kim found there was probable cause to show that Michael Leon, 68, shot and killed Brenda Leon, 52, in 2015.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Key evidence presented in court was found in electronics seized from the family home roughly two weeks after Brenda’s death. A suicide note found on Brenda’s computer was written on Michael’s laptop, then transferred to Brenda’s computer on the morning of her death, according to a forensic analysis by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Michael, who is in jail awaiting trial, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Matt Cuthbertson, said his client was “disappointed” in the judge’s decision and looks forward to a jury trial where he will be “afforded proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the courtroom, Brenda and Michael Leon’s daughters appeared frail and shaken; both declined to comment. Matt Guichard, an attorney who is representing the daughters in a civil suit against Michael Leon, told KQED, “ You’re sitting in a courtroom discussing the death of your mother, and seeing your father, the accused, in the same courtroom. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the courtroom, Brenda and Michael Leon’s daughters appeared frail and shaken; both declined to comment. Matt Guichard, an attorney who is representing the daughters in a civil suit against Michael Leon, told KQED, “ You’re sitting in a courtroom discussing the death of your mother, and seeing your father, the accused, in the same courtroom. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Loved ones of murder victim, Brenda Leon, outside the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That Michael Leon will stand trial for murder more than a decade after his wife died underscores an ongoing debate in California about the reliability of death investigations in counties such as Contra Costa, where the sheriff is also the coroner. Critics say the sheriff-coroner arrangement is prone to conflicts of interest and can — intentionally or otherwise — undercut the medical expertise that’s standard in other death-investigation systems. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That Michael Leon will stand trial for murder more than a decade after his wife died underscores an ongoing debate in California about the reliability of death investigations in counties such as Contra Costa, where the sheriff is also the coroner. Critics say the sheriff-coroner arrangement is prone to conflicts of interest and can — intentionally or otherwise — undercut the medical expertise that’s standard in other death-investigation systems. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In these counties, the sheriff-coroner must consult with a forensic pathologist on the medical cause of death — such as a gunshot wound or heart attack — in sudden, violent or unnatural cases. But the sheriff-coroner, who typically has no medical training, has the last word on the \u003cem>manner\u003c/em> of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. In Brenda Leon’s case, the sheriff-coroner determined that the manner of her death was suicide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In these counties, the sheriff-coroner must consult with a forensic pathologist on the medical cause of death — such as a gunshot wound or heart attack — in sudden, violent or unnatural cases. But the sheriff-coroner, who typically has no medical training, has the last word on the \u003cem>manner\u003c/em> of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. In Brenda Leon’s case, the sheriff-coroner determined that the manner of her death was suicide.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An analysis by the California Newsroom found that 48 of the state’s 58 counties use a sheriff-coroner system. More than 19 million people — nearly half of California’s population — live under a combined sheriff-coroner office, according to the 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about.html\">American Community Survey\u003c/a> and other publicly available data.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An analysis by the California Newsroom found that 48 of the state’s 58 counties use a sheriff-coroner system. More than 19 million people — nearly half of California’s population — live under a combined sheriff-coroner office, according to the 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about.html\">American Community Survey\u003c/a> and other publicly available data.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That leaves just six counties — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Ventura — where a licensed physician and surgeon with board certification in pathology, known as a medical examiner, investigates the cause and manner of deaths. (The remaining four counties appoint or vote for their coroners, who don’t have to be medical professionals.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That leaves just six counties — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Ventura — where a licensed physician and surgeon with board certification in pathology, known as a medical examiner, investigates the cause and manner of deaths. (The remaining four counties appoint or vote for their coroners, who don’t have to be medical professionals.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California, along with Montana and Nevada, are the only three states where county officials can choose a sheriff-coroner system, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yet, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/impacts-governing-agency-comparison-resources-patchwork-medicolegal-death\">A 2024 federal survey\u003c/a> of death investigation systems across the United States found that standalone medical examiners or coroners conduct the most efficient and high-quality investigations, in part because they can “make operating decisions without having to balance competing priorities or influences.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yet, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/impacts-governing-agency-comparison-resources-patchwork-medicolegal-death\">A 2024 federal survey\u003c/a> of death investigation systems across the United States found that standalone medical examiners or coroners conduct the most efficient and high-quality investigations, in part because they can “make operating decisions without having to balance competing priorities or influences.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Critics say there’s an inherent conflict of interest in having sheriffs determine the manner of deaths in the jails they run or when a civilian dies as a result of an officer’s actions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2017, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11634689/autopsy-doctors-sheriff-overrode-death-findings-to-protect-law-enforcement\">two forensic pathologists accused\u003c/a> then-San Joaquin County Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore of overriding their opinions in death investigations to shield himself and other law enforcement officers from prosecution. County supervisors later voted to replace the sheriff-coroner’s office with an independent medical examiner’s office.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Riverside County jail deaths reached a two-decade high in 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation, which is ongoing. In the meantime, state legislators passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1379\">a law\u003c/a> this year to take coroner duties away from the Riverside County Sheriff’s department and install an independent medical examiner by next July. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Riverside County jail deaths reached a two-decade high in 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation, which is ongoing. In the meantime, state legislators passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1379\">a law\u003c/a> this year to take coroner duties away from the Riverside County Sheriff’s department and install an independent medical examiner by next July. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1108/id/3209248\">new law\u003c/a>, prompted by a string of deputy-involved deaths in Santa Barbara County jails, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It requires counties with sheriff-coroners to ask another county with a medical examiner or standalone coroner, or an independent forensic pathologist, to determine both cause and manner of in-custody deaths. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1108/id/3209248\">new law\u003c/a>, prompted by a string of deputy-involved deaths in Santa Barbara County jails, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It requires counties with sheriff-coroners to ask another county with a medical examiner or standalone coroner, or an independent forensic pathologist, to determine both cause and manner of in-custody deaths. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Chad Bianco, who is also president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, told KQED that both bills, “[weren’t] about just getting it away from the jurisdiction of the place where the death occurred.” The bills were driven, he said, by liberal politicians “making sheriffs appear to be corrupt in the eyes of the public.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Chad Bianco, who is also president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, told KQED that both bills, “[weren’t] about just getting it away from the jurisdiction of the place where the death occurred.” The bills were driven, he said, by liberal politicians “making sheriffs appear to be corrupt in the eyes of the public.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Critics say there’s also the issue of who is qualified to manage forensic procedures such as autopsies and tissue analyses. While sheriff-coroners work with licensed physicians who draw conclusions based on science, skeptics are troubled that a sheriff-coroner has the final say. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Critics say there’s also the issue of who is qualified to manage forensic procedures such as autopsies and tissue analyses. While sheriff-coroners work with licensed physicians who draw conclusions based on science, skeptics are troubled that a sheriff-coroner has the final say. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Having someone with no medical expertise running the show,” said Justin Feldman, a social epidemiologist with the Center for Policing Equity at Yale, “How are they even going to judge whether or not their procedures are up to standard?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bianco bristled at the idea and suggested he’d defer to medical professionals. “If I didn’t have 100% confidence in my chief pathologist,” he said, “they wouldn’t be the chief pathologist.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bianco bristled at the idea and suggested he’d defer to medical professionals. “If I didn’t have 100% confidence in my chief pathologist,” he said, “they wouldn’t be the chief pathologist.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The murder case against Michael Leon would not have wound up in court last week if not for the perseverance of Brenda’s family. Her parents and two daughters never believed she had killed herself and fought for more than a decade to prove it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The murder case against Michael Leon would not have wound up in court last week if not for the perseverance of Brenda’s family. Her parents and two daughters never believed she had killed herself and fought for more than a decade to prove it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Antioch Police Department denied KQED’s request for records or interviews, but a KQED analysis of the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner’s report, death certificates and court documents shows that evidence pointed to a homicide from the start. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Antioch Police Department denied KQED’s request for records or interviews, but a KQED analysis of the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner’s report, death certificates and court documents shows that evidence pointed to a homicide from the start. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Deputy-Coroner Waimun Wong, with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, led the agency’s investigation of Brenda’s death. Michael Leon told Antioch police that he found his wife lying in bed deceased, still holding the gun, according to Wong’s report. It also indicated that Brenda’s laptop was at the foot of the bed, which police said contained a suicide note.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Deputy-Coroner Waimun Wong, with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, led the agency’s investigation of Brenda’s death. Michael Leon told Antioch police that he found his wife lying in bed deceased, still holding the gun, according to Wong’s report. It also indicated that Brenda’s laptop was at the foot of the bed, which police said contained a suicide note.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105257\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Family and friends of murder victim Brenda Leon leaving a preliminary hearing at the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105257\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Family and friends of murder victim Brenda Leon leaving a preliminary hearing at the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Wong later told a police detective that he’d found no gunshot residue on Brenda’s hands, which he considered odd; typically, when a person shoots themself, there would be some residue.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Wong later told a police detective that he’d found no gunshot residue on Brenda’s hands, which he considered odd; typically, when a person shoots themself, there would be some residue.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Leon’s two adult daughters told the detective they suspected their father was responsible, according to court filings. They described his mood swings and explosive temper, and said they believed he was capable of murder. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Leon’s two adult daughters told the detective they suspected their father was responsible, according to court filings. They described his mood swings and explosive temper, and said they believed he was capable of murder. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most significantly, the detective discovered that the suicide note on Brenda’s laptop had been transferred there from a USB drive that was not found inside the house.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Most significantly, the detective discovered that the suicide note on Brenda’s laptop had been transferred there from a USB drive that was not found inside the house.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wong kept Brenda’s manner of death “unassigned” pending a forensic analysis of other electronics seized in the home, the coroner’s report said. But he closed the case while the analysis was underway and called it a suicide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wong kept Brenda’s manner of death “unassigned” pending a forensic analysis of other electronics seized in the home, the coroner’s report said. But he closed the case while the analysis was underway and called it a suicide.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, like all California sheriff-coroners, has the last word on the manner of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105781\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, like all California sheriff-coroners, has the last word on the manner of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office declined KQED’s request for comment, as did Wong, who retired in 2025.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office declined KQED’s request for comment, as did Wong, who retired in 2025.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But a KQED review of Wong’s report shows that his determination contradicted two significant forensic findings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But a KQED review of Wong’s report shows that his determination contradicted two significant forensic findings.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dr. Arnold Josselson, the consulting forensic pathologist for the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner, confirmed that Brenda Leon died of a gunshot wound to the head. But in his report, he also noted a key detail: While most self-inflicted gunshots leave soot and tiny abrasions or burns, known as stippling, around the wound, Josselson wrote that there was “no soot or stippling.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dr. Arnold Josselson, the consulting forensic pathologist for the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner, confirmed that Brenda Leon died of a gunshot wound to the head. But in his report, he also noted a key detail: While most self-inflicted gunshots leave soot and tiny abrasions or burns, known as stippling, around the wound, Josselson wrote that there was “no soot or stippling.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105780\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Guichard, an attorney representing Brenda Leon’s daughters in a wrongful death suit, attends a preliminary hearing in the criminal case against their father, Michael Leon, on Oct. 16, in Martinez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105780\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Guichard, an attorney representing Brenda Leon’s daughters in a wrongful death suit, attends a preliminary hearing in the criminal case against their father, Michael Leon, on Oct. 16, in Martinez.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That discovery, coupled with the lack of gunshot residue on Brenda’s hand, stood out to Matt Guichard, an attorney who Brenda’s daughters had contacted on the advice of a friend. Guichard had spent seven years as a deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County in charge of the homicide unit. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That discovery, coupled with the lack of gunshot residue on Brenda’s hand, stood out to Matt Guichard, an attorney who Brenda’s daughters had contacted on the advice of a friend. Guichard had spent seven years as a deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County in charge of the homicide unit. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It didn’t add up,” Guichard told KQED. “If you put a gun to your head, you will have a circle where the barrel imprints itself.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It didn’t add up,” Guichard told KQED. “If you put a gun to your head, you will have a circle where the barrel imprints itself.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He subpoenaed police records, including the electronic evidence that investigators had gathered shortly after Brenda’s death, and shared his findings with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The DA revived the case, and Michael Leon was arrested Jan. 22, nearly 11 years after Brenda’s death.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He subpoenaed police records, including the electronic evidence that investigators had gathered shortly after Brenda’s death, and shared his findings with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The DA revived the case, and Michael Leon was arrested Jan. 22, nearly 11 years after Brenda’s death.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The next court date is set for Nov. 2.\u003c/p>\n",
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"alt": "Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepali at a preliminary hearing Oct. 16 for Micheal Leon to stand trial for the 2015 murder of his wife Brenda Leon.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg\" alt=\"Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepali at a preliminary hearing Oct. 16 for Micheal Leon to stand trial for the 2015 murder of his wife Brenda Leon.\" class=\"wp-image-12105261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepalli (right) leaves a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16 in the case of Michael Leon, who faces charges for the 2015 murder of his wife, Brenda Leon.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg\" alt=\"Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepali at a preliminary hearing Oct. 16 for Micheal Leon to stand trial for the 2015 murder of his wife Brenda Leon.\" class=\"wp-image-12105261\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepalli (right) leaves a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16 in the case of Michael Leon, who faces charges for the 2015 murder of his wife, Brenda Leon.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The judge’s decision to move the case to trial was encouraging to Gael Strack, a former San Diego County prosecutor who founded Alliance for HOPE International, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic violence victims and their families. In 2022, Strack helped pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB989/id/3023396\">a state law\u003c/a> that requires law enforcement agencies to investigate further when a victim of domestic violence dies by an apparent suicide or accident. She and her colleagues identified roughly a dozen deaths in California that they believe were misclassified as suicides or accidents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The judge’s decision to move the case to trial was encouraging to Gael Strack, a former San Diego County prosecutor who founded Alliance for HOPE International, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic violence victims and their families. In 2022, Strack helped pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB989/id/3023396\">a state law\u003c/a> that requires law enforcement agencies to investigate further when a victim of domestic violence dies by an apparent suicide or accident. She and her colleagues identified roughly a dozen deaths in California that they believe were misclassified as suicides or accidents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Strack said getting sheriff-coroners to reconsider closed cases has been especially challenging. “The laws do not protect family members as much as they protect sheriff-coroners,” she said. “They have total discretion on whether to investigate further or to change a death certificate.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Strack said getting sheriff-coroners to reconsider closed cases has been especially challenging. “The laws do not protect family members as much as they protect sheriff-coroners,” she said. “They have total discretion on whether to investigate further or to change a death certificate.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guichard echoed Strack’s concerns. “If not for reading the coroner’s report and seeing the electronics, this never would have been uncovered,” he said. “There are lots of questionable deaths that don’t get the thorough investigations they deserve.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Guichard echoed Strack’s concerns. “If not for reading the coroner’s report and seeing the electronics, this never would have been uncovered,” he said. “There are lots of questionable deaths that don’t get the thorough investigations they deserve.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Data Journalist Emily Zentner of The California Newsroom contributed data analysis to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Data Journalist Emily Zentner of The California Newsroom contributed data analysis to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was published with support from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>The California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state with NPR as its national partner. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was published with support from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>The California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state with NPR as its national partner. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "More than a decade after Brenda Leon died, her husband will stand trial for her murder. The case underscores an ongoing debate about the reliability of death investigations in some California counties. ",
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"title": "Despite the Evidence, Contra Costa County’s Sheriff-Coroner Called Her Death a Suicide | KQED",
"description": "More than a decade after Brenda Leon died, her husband will stand trial for her murder. The case underscores an ongoing debate about the reliability of death investigations in some California counties. ",
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"headline": "Despite the Evidence, Contra Costa County’s Sheriff-Coroner Called Her Death a Suicide",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A man who once ran for mayor of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/antioch\">Antioch\u003c/a> will stand trial for the murder of his wife more than a decade after he told police she killed herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a preliminary hearing Oct. 16, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge H. Glenn Kim found there was probable cause to show that Michael Leon, 68, shot and killed Brenda Leon, 52, in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key evidence presented in court was found in electronics seized from the family home roughly two weeks after Brenda’s death. A suicide note found on Brenda’s computer was written on Michael’s laptop, then transferred to Brenda’s computer on the morning of her death, according to a forensic analysis by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael, who is in jail awaiting trial, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Matt Cuthbertson, said his client was “disappointed” in the judge’s decision and looks forward to a jury trial where he will be “afforded proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the courtroom, Brenda and Michael Leon’s daughters appeared frail and shaken; both declined to comment. Matt Guichard, an attorney who is representing the daughters in a civil suit against Michael Leon, told KQED, “ You’re sitting in a courtroom discussing the death of your mother, and seeing your father, the accused, in the same courtroom. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-12-MC-KQED-3f571583-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Loved ones of murder victim, Brenda Leon, outside the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That Michael Leon will stand trial for murder more than a decade after his wife died underscores an ongoing debate in California about the reliability of death investigations in counties such as Contra Costa, where the sheriff is also the coroner. Critics say the sheriff-coroner arrangement is prone to conflicts of interest and can — intentionally or otherwise — undercut the medical expertise that’s standard in other death-investigation systems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these counties, the sheriff-coroner must consult with a forensic pathologist on the medical cause of death — such as a gunshot wound or heart attack — in sudden, violent or unnatural cases. But the sheriff-coroner, who typically has no medical training, has the last word on the \u003cem>manner\u003c/em> of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. In Brenda Leon’s case, the sheriff-coroner determined that the manner of her death was suicide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An analysis by the California Newsroom found that 48 of the state’s 58 counties use a sheriff-coroner system. More than 19 million people — nearly half of California’s population — live under a combined sheriff-coroner office, according to the 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about.html\">American Community Survey\u003c/a> and other publicly available data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That leaves just six counties — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Ventura — where a licensed physician and surgeon with board certification in pathology, known as a medical examiner, investigates the cause and manner of deaths. (The remaining four counties appoint or vote for their coroners, who don’t have to be medical professionals.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yOWuq/3/\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California, along with Montana and Nevada, are the only three states where county officials can choose a sheriff-coroner system, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/impacts-governing-agency-comparison-resources-patchwork-medicolegal-death\">A 2024 federal survey\u003c/a> of death investigation systems across the United States found that standalone medical examiners or coroners conduct the most efficient and high-quality investigations, in part because they can “make operating decisions without having to balance competing priorities or influences.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics say there’s an inherent conflict of interest in having sheriffs determine the manner of deaths in the jails they run or when a civilian dies as a result of an officer’s actions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11634689/autopsy-doctors-sheriff-overrode-death-findings-to-protect-law-enforcement\">two forensic pathologists accused\u003c/a> then-San Joaquin County Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore of overriding their opinions in death investigations to shield himself and other law enforcement officers from prosecution. County supervisors later voted to replace the sheriff-coroner’s office with an independent medical examiner’s office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Riverside County jail deaths reached a two-decade high in 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation, which is ongoing. In the meantime, state legislators passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1379\">a law\u003c/a> this year to take coroner duties away from the Riverside County Sheriff’s department and install an independent medical examiner by next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1108/id/3209248\">new law\u003c/a>, prompted by a string of deputy-involved deaths in Santa Barbara County jails, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It requires counties with sheriff-coroners to ask another county with a medical examiner or standalone coroner, or an independent forensic pathologist, to determine both cause and manner of in-custody deaths. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Chad Bianco, who is also president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, told KQED that both bills, “[weren’t] about just getting it away from the jurisdiction of the place where the death occurred.” The bills were driven, he said, by liberal politicians “making sheriffs appear to be corrupt in the eyes of the public.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics say there’s also the issue of who is qualified to manage forensic procedures such as autopsies and tissue analyses. While sheriff-coroners work with licensed physicians who draw conclusions based on science, skeptics are troubled that a sheriff-coroner has the final say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Having someone with no medical expertise running the show,” said Justin Feldman, a social epidemiologist with the Center for Policing Equity at Yale, “How are they even going to judge whether or not their procedures are up to standard?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianco bristled at the idea and suggested he’d defer to medical professionals. “If I didn’t have 100% confidence in my chief pathologist,” he said, “they wouldn’t be the chief pathologist.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How a suspicious death investigation stalled \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The murder case against Michael Leon would not have wound up in court last week if not for the perseverance of Brenda’s family. Her parents and two daughters never believed she had killed herself and fought for more than a decade to prove it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Antioch Police Department denied KQED’s request for records or interviews, but a KQED analysis of the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner’s report, death certificates and court documents shows that evidence pointed to a homicide from the start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deputy-Coroner Waimun Wong, with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, led the agency’s investigation of Brenda’s death. Michael Leon told Antioch police that he found his wife lying in bed deceased, still holding the gun, according to Wong’s report. It also indicated that Brenda’s laptop was at the foot of the bed, which police said contained a suicide note.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105257\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-11-MC-KQED-019a5aee-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Family and friends of murder victim Brenda Leon leaving a preliminary hearing at the A.F. Bray Courts Building on Oct. 16, 2026, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to court documents, Wong later told a police detective that he’d found no gunshot residue on Brenda’s hands, which he considered odd; typically, when a person shoots themself, there would be some residue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leon’s two adult daughters told the detective they suspected their father was responsible, according to court filings. They described his mood swings and explosive temper, and said they believed he was capable of murder. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most significantly, the detective discovered that the suicide note on Brenda’s laptop had been transferred there from a USB drive that was not found inside the house.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wong kept Brenda’s manner of death “unassigned” pending a forensic analysis of other electronics seized in the home, the coroner’s report said. But he closed the case while the analysis was underway and called it a suicide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-04-MC-KQED-eecc31d0-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office, like all California sheriff-coroners, has the last word on the manner of death, whether natural, accidental, suicide, homicide or undetermined. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office declined KQED’s request for comment, as did Wong, who retired in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a KQED review of Wong’s report shows that his determination contradicted two significant forensic findings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Arnold Josselson, the consulting forensic pathologist for the Contra Costa County sheriff-coroner, confirmed that Brenda Leon died of a gunshot wound to the head. But in his report, he also noted a key detail: While most self-inflicted gunshots leave soot and tiny abrasions or burns, known as stippling, around the wound, Josselson wrote that there was “no soot or stippling.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105780\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-09-MC-KQED-fe63b5d6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matt Guichard, an attorney representing Brenda Leon’s daughters in a wrongful death suit, attends a preliminary hearing in the criminal case against their father, Michael Leon, on Oct. 16, in Martinez. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That discovery, coupled with the lack of gunshot residue on Brenda’s hand, stood out to Matt Guichard, an attorney who Brenda’s daughters had contacted on the advice of a friend. Guichard had spent seven years as a deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County in charge of the homicide unit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It didn’t add up,” Guichard told KQED. “If you put a gun to your head, you will have a circle where the barrel imprints itself.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He subpoenaed police records, including the electronic evidence that investigators had gathered shortly after Brenda’s death, and shared his findings with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The DA revived the case, and Michael Leon was arrested Jan. 22, nearly 11 years after Brenda’s death.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next court date is set for Nov. 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg\" alt=\"Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepali at a preliminary hearing Oct. 16 for Micheal Leon to stand trial for the 2015 murder of his wife Brenda Leon.\" class=\"wp-image-12105261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101626-ANTIOCHMAYORCANDIDATEMURDERHEARING-19-MC-KQED-1-c816f730-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Contra Costa County prosecutor Satish Jallepalli (right) leaves a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16 in the case of Michael Leon, who faces charges for the 2015 murder of his wife, Brenda Leon. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge’s decision to move the case to trial was encouraging to Gael Strack, a former San Diego County prosecutor who founded Alliance for HOPE International, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic violence victims and their families. In 2022, Strack helped pass \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB989/id/3023396\">a state law\u003c/a> that requires law enforcement agencies to investigate further when a victim of domestic violence dies by an apparent suicide or accident. She and her colleagues identified roughly a dozen deaths in California that they believe were misclassified as suicides or accidents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strack said getting sheriff-coroners to reconsider closed cases has been especially challenging. “The laws do not protect family members as much as they protect sheriff-coroners,” she said. “They have total discretion on whether to investigate further or to change a death certificate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guichard echoed Strack’s concerns. “If not for reading the coroner’s report and seeing the electronics, this never would have been uncovered,” he said. “There are lots of questionable deaths that don’t get the thorough investigations they deserve.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Data Journalist Emily Zentner of The California Newsroom contributed data analysis to this reporting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This story was published with support from\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>The California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state with NPR as its national partner. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-joses-police-watchdog-report-shows-complaints-uses-of-force-increased",
"title": "San José’s Police Watchdog Report Shows Complaints, Uses of Force Increased",
"publishDate": 1792692267,
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"headTitle": "San José’s Police Watchdog Report Shows Complaints, Uses of Force Increased | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103071/as-bay-area-cities-break-up-with-flock-pushback-to-surveillance-mounts-in-sf\">San José\u003c/a>’s independent police auditor said its office continues to be “kept in the dark” when it comes to receiving critical information in the immediate aftermath of police shootings, due to a city and police directive barring the auditor from shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a change since the beginning of the year, the auditor’s office has altogether stopped sending staff to the places where investigations are happening after officers have fired their weapons because their “presence at the scene provides no meaningful additional information,” Interim Independent Police Auditor Dwight White wrote in the office’s annual oversight report for 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/135483/639279531804930000\">annual report\u003c/a> was released this week, showing that complaints against officers steadily increased in 2024 and 2025 after dipping from 2021 through 2023, and that the number of times officers used force bumped up slightly over 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday, includes a dozen recommendations from White’s office on how the San José Police Department should improve its work, all of which the department agreed with or partially agreed to implement. But near the top of the report, White reiterated concerns about the exclusion from police shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The IPA is not granted access to the scene, nor does it have access to the briefing or walkthrough. The IPA is kept in the dark and completely out of the process,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105770\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a press conference on May 20, 2024, one day after the city’s third police shooting of 2024. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan and the whole council, along with Police Chief Paul Joseph, citing concerns about the integrity of police investigation scenes, rejected former auditor Eddie Aubrey’s recommendation to grant the office such access during an annual review last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983119/san-jose-city-council-appoints-new-independent-police-auditor\">Aubrey\u003c/a> told the council that other major cities in the Bay Area and the state allow for that kind of real-time observation to ensure independent oversight is thorough, and told \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/22/san-jose-city-spurns-watchdogs-plea-for-more-access-to-police-shootings-force-cases/\">\u003cem>The Mercury News\u003c/em>\u003c/a> he considered the recommendation “low-hanging fruit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview this week, White said the lack of access means San José is “kind of lacking” in contrast to cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Long Beach, among others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not sure why that isn’t the standard” in San José, White said. He said his office simply gets a phone briefing from police officials under current practice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If we can convince the City Council that it’s important to get access to the scene maybe next year or further down the road, we’ll definitely look into those options,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sean Allen, the president of the San José/Silicon Valley NAACP, and a former county correctional officer, told the council at the meeting they should reconsider. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What we have now is not oversight. When we talk to the community groups, we’re not happy with what we presently have in terms of [White’s] access to things. So we’d appreciate it if you guys would relook at that kind of stuff. The access needs to be changed in terms of how we do oversight,” Allen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The continued lack of access to those scenes is coupled with what White said are frequent delays in police handing over completed internal investigations of other instances when officers seriously injure someone. In some cases, the completed investigations weren’t handed over at all, until the auditor discovered them and inquired with police. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collectively, the delays and inconsistent information sharing hamper the ability of the auditor’s office to closely review the “circumstances leading to the force, the actions of the officers and subject, or whether the investigation’s factual and policy conclusions are supported by the evidence,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the recommendations from White’s office are a call to implement a written policy requiring SJPD to provide the IPA’s office with every completed investigation stemming from police seriously injuring or shooting someone within 30 days after the department has completed its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to the recommendation, Police Chief Paul Joseph told the council the department recently switched from “paper copies” to new digital software for its internal affairs work, which has “sped up the processing of the information and the provision of that information to the IPA.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025 overall, the city’s police officers used force on people 598 times, an increase of about 5% over 2024, and the fourth consecutive annual increase after a low in 2021, the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the San José City Council listen as San José Police Chief Paul Joseph speaks to the media during a Jan. 22, 2026, press conference about a police shooting downtown. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White’s report showed that officers received 499 complaints overall in 2025, including complaints from community members and those initiated by the department. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of those complaints, 326 of them were from community members concerning an officer’s conduct, continuing an upward trend from 263 in 2024, after a recent low of 224 in 2023. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This recent uptick could reflect renewed public concern, increased willingness to report, or emerging challenges in police-community interactions that warrant closer attention,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A total of 370 officers on the force in 2025 received at least one complaint, or roughly 36% of active officers, which is an increase from 30% of officers in 2024 who received at least one complaint, and 27% who received a complaint in 2023. In 2022, about 33% of officers received at least one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One officer led the department with seven separate complaints during 2025, the report said. Four other officers had five complaints, and nine others had four complaints. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officers with two to six years of experience had the highest complaint rates, with more than 50% of those officers receiving a complaint, while about 23% of officers with 11 to 15 years of experience received complaints, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the office tracks complaints by calendar year, the cases it reviews and closes each year can contain complaints from differing years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In cases the office reviewed and closed in 2025, the IPA investigated 942 separate allegations of police misconduct, with about 11% of those allegations sustained, “confirming some wrongdoing or misconduct occurred.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The large majority of the allegations, 74%, were characterized as “unfounded,” in which the evidence didn’t support the claim, or “exonerated,” meaning the conduct likely happened, “but the police officer’s actions were found to be within policy, highlighting the complexity of policing and the potential for misperception,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IPA’s report also recommended the department should “explicitly prohibit the use of profanity or disparaging language as a routine control tactic.” In four cases reviewed by the auditor’s office, “officers repeatedly used profanity, especially variations of ‘shut the fuck up’ as a method they described as ‘de-escalation’,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Officers defended this language as a tactic to ‘shock,’ ‘snap’ or reassert control over individuals who were argumentative or talkative. That rationale itself is problematic. Profanity and disparaging language should not be treated as legitimate control techniques, especially when they escalate tension or serve no clear operational purpose,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A police department memo said the current policy prohibits officers “from using coarse, profane or derogatory language with a very narrow exception for “when necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989256\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José Police Department squad car in San José on April 18, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph, in his comments to the council, said a new policy isn’t needed because officers can be and already are disciplined for foul language in the wrong circumstances. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It is not an approved standard de-escalation technique. There are rare occasions. And look, if an officer’s going to swear at somebody and it’s going to prevent them from using force, then you know what, I’d rather have them do that,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph declined an interview request for this story. He told the council many of the policy changes based on the recommendations were already being made and should be complete by February. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re always trying to be better. We appreciate the IPA’s partnership in making us better and holding us accountable,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White took over as the interim auditor following Aubrey’s sudden and unexplained exit from the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aubrey, who was hired as the city’s new IPA in May 2024, was placed on administrative leave with no explanation in August of this year. The city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094999/san-jose-police-watchdog-retires-suddenly\">announced his retirement\u003c/a> the following week, without any statement from Aubrey, who also did not return calls or texts seeking comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aubrey was lauded as an experienced leader at the time of his appointment by the City Council, which followed a period of tumult and staff turnover at the office, following the unexpected retirement of former auditor Shivaun Nurre in June 2023. She stepped down after getting into a verbal argument with a San José police officer at the San José Greek Festival while she was drunk.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103071/as-bay-area-cities-break-up-with-flock-pushback-to-surveillance-mounts-in-sf\">San José\u003c/a>’s independent police auditor said its office continues to be “kept in the dark” when it comes to receiving critical information in the immediate aftermath of police shootings, due to a city and police directive barring the auditor from shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a change since the beginning of the year, the auditor’s office has altogether stopped sending staff to the places where investigations are happening after officers have fired their weapons because their “presence at the scene provides no meaningful additional information,” Interim Independent Police Auditor Dwight White wrote in the office’s annual oversight report for 2025. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a change since the beginning of the year, the auditor’s office has altogether stopped sending staff to the places where investigations are happening after officers have fired their weapons because their “presence at the scene provides no meaningful additional information,” Interim Independent Police Auditor Dwight White wrote in the office’s annual oversight report for 2025. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/135483/639279531804930000\">annual report\u003c/a> was released this week, showing that complaints against officers steadily increased in 2024 and 2025 after dipping from 2021 through 2023, and that the number of times officers used force bumped up slightly over 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/135483/639279531804930000\">annual report\u003c/a> was released this week, showing that complaints against officers steadily increased in 2024 and 2025 after dipping from 2021 through 2023, and that the number of times officers used force bumped up slightly over 2024.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday, includes a dozen recommendations from White’s office on how the San José Police Department should improve its work, all of which the department agreed with or partially agreed to implement. But near the top of the report, White reiterated concerns about the exclusion from police shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday, includes a dozen recommendations from White’s office on how the San José Police Department should improve its work, all of which the department agreed with or partially agreed to implement. But near the top of the report, White reiterated concerns about the exclusion from police shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The IPA is not granted access to the scene, nor does it have access to the briefing or walkthrough. The IPA is kept in the dark and completely out of the process,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The IPA is not granted access to the scene, nor does it have access to the briefing or walkthrough. The IPA is kept in the dark and completely out of the process,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105770\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a press conference on May 20, 2024, one day after the city’s third police shooting of 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan and the whole council, along with Police Chief Paul Joseph, citing concerns about the integrity of police investigation scenes, rejected former auditor Eddie Aubrey’s recommendation to grant the office such access during an annual review last year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan and the whole council, along with Police Chief Paul Joseph, citing concerns about the integrity of police investigation scenes, rejected former auditor Eddie Aubrey’s recommendation to grant the office such access during an annual review last year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983119/san-jose-city-council-appoints-new-independent-police-auditor\">Aubrey\u003c/a> told the council that other major cities in the Bay Area and the state allow for that kind of real-time observation to ensure independent oversight is thorough, and told \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/22/san-jose-city-spurns-watchdogs-plea-for-more-access-to-police-shootings-force-cases/\">\u003cem>The Mercury News\u003c/em>\u003c/a> he considered the recommendation “low-hanging fruit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983119/san-jose-city-council-appoints-new-independent-police-auditor\">Aubrey\u003c/a> told the council that other major cities in the Bay Area and the state allow for that kind of real-time observation to ensure independent oversight is thorough, and told \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/22/san-jose-city-spurns-watchdogs-plea-for-more-access-to-police-shootings-force-cases/\">\u003cem>The Mercury News\u003c/em>\u003c/a> he considered the recommendation “low-hanging fruit.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview this week, White said the lack of access means San José is “kind of lacking” in contrast to cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Long Beach, among others. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview this week, White said the lack of access means San José is “kind of lacking” in contrast to cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Long Beach, among others. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m not sure why that isn’t the standard” in San José, White said. He said his office simply gets a phone briefing from police officials under current practice. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m not sure why that isn’t the standard” in San José, White said. He said his office simply gets a phone briefing from police officials under current practice. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If we can convince the City Council that it’s important to get access to the scene maybe next year or further down the road, we’ll definitely look into those options,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If we can convince the City Council that it’s important to get access to the scene maybe next year or further down the road, we’ll definitely look into those options,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sean Allen, the president of the San José/Silicon Valley NAACP, and a former county correctional officer, told the council at the meeting they should reconsider. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we have now is not oversight. When we talk to the community groups, we’re not happy with what we presently have in terms of [White’s] access to things. So we’d appreciate it if you guys would relook at that kind of stuff. The access needs to be changed in terms of how we do oversight,” Allen said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What we have now is not oversight. When we talk to the community groups, we’re not happy with what we presently have in terms of [White’s] access to things. So we’d appreciate it if you guys would relook at that kind of stuff. The access needs to be changed in terms of how we do oversight,” Allen said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The continued lack of access to those scenes is coupled with what White said are frequent delays in police handing over completed internal investigations of other instances when officers seriously injure someone. In some cases, the completed investigations weren’t handed over at all, until the auditor discovered them and inquired with police. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Collectively, the delays and inconsistent information sharing hamper the ability of the auditor’s office to closely review the “circumstances leading to the force, the actions of the officers and subject, or whether the investigation’s factual and policy conclusions are supported by the evidence,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the recommendations from White’s office are a call to implement a written policy requiring SJPD to provide the IPA’s office with every completed investigation stemming from police seriously injuring or shooting someone within 30 days after the department has completed its review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Among the recommendations from White’s office are a call to implement a written policy requiring SJPD to provide the IPA’s office with every completed investigation stemming from police seriously injuring or shooting someone within 30 days after the department has completed its review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response to the recommendation, Police Chief Paul Joseph told the council the department recently switched from “paper copies” to new digital software for its internal affairs work, which has “sped up the processing of the information and the provision of that information to the IPA.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In response to the recommendation, Police Chief Paul Joseph told the council the department recently switched from “paper copies” to new digital software for its internal affairs work, which has “sped up the processing of the information and the provision of that information to the IPA.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2025 overall, the city’s police officers used force on people 598 times, an increase of about 5% over 2024, and the fourth consecutive annual increase after a low in 2021, the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2025 overall, the city’s police officers used force on people 598 times, an increase of about 5% over 2024, and the fourth consecutive annual increase after a low in 2021, the report said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the San José City Council listen as San José Police Chief Paul Joseph speaks to the media during a Jan. 22, 2026, press conference about a police shooting downtown.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>White’s report showed that officers received 499 complaints overall in 2025, including complaints from community members and those initiated by the department. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of those complaints, 326 of them were from community members concerning an officer’s conduct, continuing an upward trend from 263 in 2024, after a recent low of 224 in 2023. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Of those complaints, 326 of them were from community members concerning an officer’s conduct, continuing an upward trend from 263 in 2024, after a recent low of 224 in 2023. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This recent uptick could reflect renewed public concern, increased willingness to report, or emerging challenges in police-community interactions that warrant closer attention,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A total of 370 officers on the force in 2025 received at least one complaint, or roughly 36% of active officers, which is an increase from 30% of officers in 2024 who received at least one complaint, and 27% who received a complaint in 2023. In 2022, about 33% of officers received at least one. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A total of 370 officers on the force in 2025 received at least one complaint, or roughly 36% of active officers, which is an increase from 30% of officers in 2024 who received at least one complaint, and 27% who received a complaint in 2023. In 2022, about 33% of officers received at least one. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One officer led the department with seven separate complaints during 2025, the report said. Four other officers had five complaints, and nine others had four complaints. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One officer led the department with seven separate complaints during 2025, the report said. Four other officers had five complaints, and nine others had four complaints. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officers with two to six years of experience had the highest complaint rates, with more than 50% of those officers receiving a complaint, while about 23% of officers with 11 to 15 years of experience received complaints, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the office tracks complaints by calendar year, the cases it reviews and closes each year can contain complaints from differing years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In cases the office reviewed and closed in 2025, the IPA investigated 942 separate allegations of police misconduct, with about 11% of those allegations sustained, “confirming some wrongdoing or misconduct occurred.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In cases the office reviewed and closed in 2025, the IPA investigated 942 separate allegations of police misconduct, with about 11% of those allegations sustained, “confirming some wrongdoing or misconduct occurred.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The large majority of the allegations, 74%, were characterized as “unfounded,” in which the evidence didn’t support the claim, or “exonerated,” meaning the conduct likely happened, “but the police officer’s actions were found to be within policy, highlighting the complexity of policing and the potential for misperception,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The large majority of the allegations, 74%, were characterized as “unfounded,” in which the evidence didn’t support the claim, or “exonerated,” meaning the conduct likely happened, “but the police officer’s actions were found to be within policy, highlighting the complexity of policing and the potential for misperception,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The IPA’s report also recommended the department should “explicitly prohibit the use of profanity or disparaging language as a routine control tactic.” In four cases reviewed by the auditor’s office, “officers repeatedly used profanity, especially variations of ‘shut the fuck up’ as a method they described as ‘de-escalation’,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The IPA’s report also recommended the department should “explicitly prohibit the use of profanity or disparaging language as a routine control tactic.” In four cases reviewed by the auditor’s office, “officers repeatedly used profanity, especially variations of ‘shut the fuck up’ as a method they described as ‘de-escalation’,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Officers defended this language as a tactic to ‘shock,’ ‘snap’ or reassert control over individuals who were argumentative or talkative. That rationale itself is problematic. Profanity and disparaging language should not be treated as legitimate control techniques, especially when they escalate tension or serve no clear operational purpose,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Officers defended this language as a tactic to ‘shock,’ ‘snap’ or reassert control over individuals who were argumentative or talkative. That rationale itself is problematic. Profanity and disparaging language should not be treated as legitimate control techniques, especially when they escalate tension or serve no clear operational purpose,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A police department memo said the current policy prohibits officers “from using coarse, profane or derogatory language with a very narrow exception for “when necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A police department memo said the current policy prohibits officers “from using coarse, profane or derogatory language with a very narrow exception for “when necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989256\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José Police Department squad car in San José on April 18, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989256\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José Police Department squad car in San José on April 18, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Joseph, in his comments to the council, said a new policy isn’t needed because officers can be and already are disciplined for foul language in the wrong circumstances. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is not an approved standard de-escalation technique. There are rare occasions. And look, if an officer’s going to swear at somebody and it’s going to prevent them from using force, then you know what, I’d rather have them do that,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It is not an approved standard de-escalation technique. There are rare occasions. And look, if an officer’s going to swear at somebody and it’s going to prevent them from using force, then you know what, I’d rather have them do that,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Joseph declined an interview request for this story. He told the council many of the policy changes based on the recommendations were already being made and should be complete by February. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re always trying to be better. We appreciate the IPA’s partnership in making us better and holding us accountable,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re always trying to be better. We appreciate the IPA’s partnership in making us better and holding us accountable,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>White took over as the interim auditor following Aubrey’s sudden and unexplained exit from the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aubrey, who was hired as the city’s new IPA in May 2024, was placed on administrative leave with no explanation in August of this year. The city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094999/san-jose-police-watchdog-retires-suddenly\">announced his retirement\u003c/a> the following week, without any statement from Aubrey, who also did not return calls or texts seeking comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aubrey was lauded as an experienced leader at the time of his appointment by the City Council, which followed a period of tumult and staff turnover at the office, following the unexpected retirement of former auditor Shivaun Nurre in June 2023. She stepped down after getting into a verbal argument with a San José police officer at the San José Greek Festival while she was drunk.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103071/as-bay-area-cities-break-up-with-flock-pushback-to-surveillance-mounts-in-sf\">San José\u003c/a>’s independent police auditor said its office continues to be “kept in the dark” when it comes to receiving critical information in the immediate aftermath of police shootings, due to a city and police directive barring the auditor from shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a change since the beginning of the year, the auditor’s office has altogether stopped sending staff to the places where investigations are happening after officers have fired their weapons because their “presence at the scene provides no meaningful additional information,” Interim Independent Police Auditor Dwight White wrote in the office’s annual oversight report for 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/135483/639279531804930000\">annual report\u003c/a> was released this week, showing that complaints against officers steadily increased in 2024 and 2025 after dipping from 2021 through 2023, and that the number of times officers used force bumped up slightly over 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday, includes a dozen recommendations from White’s office on how the San José Police Department should improve its work, all of which the department agreed with or partially agreed to implement. But near the top of the report, White reiterated concerns about the exclusion from police shooting scenes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The IPA is not granted access to the scene, nor does it have access to the briefing or walkthrough. The IPA is kept in the dark and completely out of the process,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105770\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/240520-SJPD-SHOOTING-JG-02-48ab42e3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a press conference on May 20, 2024, one day after the city’s third police shooting of 2024. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan and the whole council, along with Police Chief Paul Joseph, citing concerns about the integrity of police investigation scenes, rejected former auditor Eddie Aubrey’s recommendation to grant the office such access during an annual review last year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11983119/san-jose-city-council-appoints-new-independent-police-auditor\">Aubrey\u003c/a> told the council that other major cities in the Bay Area and the state allow for that kind of real-time observation to ensure independent oversight is thorough, and told \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/22/san-jose-city-spurns-watchdogs-plea-for-more-access-to-police-shootings-force-cases/\">\u003cem>The Mercury News\u003c/em>\u003c/a> he considered the recommendation “low-hanging fruit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview this week, White said the lack of access means San José is “kind of lacking” in contrast to cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Long Beach, among others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’m not sure why that isn’t the standard” in San José, White said. He said his office simply gets a phone briefing from police officials under current practice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If we can convince the City Council that it’s important to get access to the scene maybe next year or further down the road, we’ll definitely look into those options,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sean Allen, the president of the San José/Silicon Valley NAACP, and a former county correctional officer, told the council at the meeting they should reconsider. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What we have now is not oversight. When we talk to the community groups, we’re not happy with what we presently have in terms of [White’s] access to things. So we’d appreciate it if you guys would relook at that kind of stuff. The access needs to be changed in terms of how we do oversight,” Allen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The continued lack of access to those scenes is coupled with what White said are frequent delays in police handing over completed internal investigations of other instances when officers seriously injure someone. In some cases, the completed investigations weren’t handed over at all, until the auditor discovered them and inquired with police. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collectively, the delays and inconsistent information sharing hamper the ability of the auditor’s office to closely review the “circumstances leading to the force, the actions of the officers and subject, or whether the investigation’s factual and policy conclusions are supported by the evidence,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the recommendations from White’s office are a call to implement a written policy requiring SJPD to provide the IPA’s office with every completed investigation stemming from police seriously injuring or shooting someone within 30 days after the department has completed its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to the recommendation, Police Chief Paul Joseph told the council the department recently switched from “paper copies” to new digital software for its internal affairs work, which has “sped up the processing of the information and the provision of that information to the IPA.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025 overall, the city’s police officers used force on people 598 times, an increase of about 5% over 2024, and the fourth consecutive annual increase after a low in 2021, the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-2_qed-61dfe3fa-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the San José City Council listen as San José Police Chief Paul Joseph speaks to the media during a Jan. 22, 2026, press conference about a police shooting downtown. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White’s report showed that officers received 499 complaints overall in 2025, including complaints from community members and those initiated by the department. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of those complaints, 326 of them were from community members concerning an officer’s conduct, continuing an upward trend from 263 in 2024, after a recent low of 224 in 2023. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This recent uptick could reflect renewed public concern, increased willingness to report, or emerging challenges in police-community interactions that warrant closer attention,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A total of 370 officers on the force in 2025 received at least one complaint, or roughly 36% of active officers, which is an increase from 30% of officers in 2024 who received at least one complaint, and 27% who received a complaint in 2023. In 2022, about 33% of officers received at least one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One officer led the department with seven separate complaints during 2025, the report said. Four other officers had five complaints, and nine others had four complaints. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officers with two to six years of experience had the highest complaint rates, with more than 50% of those officers receiving a complaint, while about 23% of officers with 11 to 15 years of experience received complaints, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the office tracks complaints by calendar year, the cases it reviews and closes each year can contain complaints from differing years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In cases the office reviewed and closed in 2025, the IPA investigated 942 separate allegations of police misconduct, with about 11% of those allegations sustained, “confirming some wrongdoing or misconduct occurred.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The large majority of the allegations, 74%, were characterized as “unfounded,” in which the evidence didn’t support the claim, or “exonerated,” meaning the conduct likely happened, “but the police officer’s actions were found to be within policy, highlighting the complexity of policing and the potential for misperception,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IPA’s report also recommended the department should “explicitly prohibit the use of profanity or disparaging language as a routine control tactic.” In four cases reviewed by the auditor’s office, “officers repeatedly used profanity, especially variations of ‘shut the fuck up’ as a method they described as ‘de-escalation’,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Officers defended this language as a tactic to ‘shock,’ ‘snap’ or reassert control over individuals who were argumentative or talkative. That rationale itself is problematic. Profanity and disparaging language should not be treated as legitimate control techniques, especially when they escalate tension or serve no clear operational purpose,” the report said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A police department memo said the current policy prohibits officers “from using coarse, profane or derogatory language with a very narrow exception for “when necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989256\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240424-SJPD-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José Police Department squad car in San José on April 18, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph, in his comments to the council, said a new policy isn’t needed because officers can be and already are disciplined for foul language in the wrong circumstances. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It is not an approved standard de-escalation technique. There are rare occasions. And look, if an officer’s going to swear at somebody and it’s going to prevent them from using force, then you know what, I’d rather have them do that,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph declined an interview request for this story. He told the council many of the policy changes based on the recommendations were already being made and should be complete by February. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re always trying to be better. We appreciate the IPA’s partnership in making us better and holding us accountable,” Joseph said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White took over as the interim auditor following Aubrey’s sudden and unexplained exit from the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aubrey, who was hired as the city’s new IPA in May 2024, was placed on administrative leave with no explanation in August of this year. The city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094999/san-jose-police-watchdog-retires-suddenly\">announced his retirement\u003c/a> the following week, without any statement from Aubrey, who also did not return calls or texts seeking comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aubrey was lauded as an experienced leader at the time of his appointment by the City Council, which followed a period of tumult and staff turnover at the office, following the unexpected retirement of former auditor Shivaun Nurre in June 2023. She stepped down after getting into a verbal argument with a San José police officer at the San José Greek Festival while she was drunk.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-judge-denies-bail-to-engineer-accused-of-bugging-openai-hq",
"title": "San Francisco Judge Denies Bail to Engineer Accused of Bugging OpenAI HQ",
"publishDate": 1792513573,
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Judge Denies Bail to Engineer Accused of Bugging OpenAI HQ | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a> engineer who was accused last week of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/technology/openai-worker-arrested-bugging.html\">planting a secret recording device\u003c/a> at the company’s San Francisco offices was ordered detained without bail pending trial Monday. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse said there is a “significant” risk he would flee, according to CNBC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse’s order came at a San Francisco court hearing where he questioned an offer by the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to back the full bond for Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse reportedly said he found that offer “problematic,” and asked what confidence he should have that the Saudi government would protect the interests of the U.S. government.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a court filing Sunday, prosecutors argued that Alfozan was “mere days away from leaving the United States for Saudi Arabia when he was arrested.” Prosecutors also cited his Bay Area earnings, at least two Saudi bank accounts, and “what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government” with no U.S. extradition treaty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We respectfully disagree with the decision and will continue to fight for his release,” Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, wrote to KQED on Tuesday. “Mr. Alfozan is a lawful permanent resident of the United States with years of significant contributions and ties to his community, as well as science and technology. I believe firmly that perception of who he is will change once full facts come out.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees gather at the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If he really was an agent of a foreign government, why wouldn’t he just abscond right away?” Pernik said, according to the Times. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors said in their filing Sunday that Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who tried to recruit him to a new Saudi artificial intelligence initiative. In one message, prosecutors said, the Saudi royal family member wrote to Alfozan that “Saudi needs you more” than the US. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan’s response, according to prosecutors: “100.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alfozan said he would not leave OpenAI until his stock vested. His new-hire equity grant was worth $2.2 million, according to the filing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a footnote, prosecutors pointed to a 2019 case in the same court, in which a Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia left the U.S. the day after the company confronted him — a departure the U.S government says was coordinated with the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles. He has never returned to face charges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The government’s filing cited the fact that Alfozan’s wife and their 3-month-old baby flew to Doha, Qatar, the day after his arrest on a business-class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. His wife now lives in Saudi Arabia, per the filing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan has been in jail since his arrest on a charge of using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. He faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison if convicted. OpenAI fired him after his arrest but has said it has no indication Alfozan improperly accessed or took model weights, source code or customer data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse’s decision to deny Alfozan bail was “no surprise” to Rory Little, a professor at UC Law San Francisco, “given the one-way trip tickets and he’s not a citizen.” Little also told KQED he would be surprised if Alfozan’s lawyers seek an immediate appeal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan came to the U.S. in 2009, earned degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley, became a permanent resident in 2020 and joined OpenAI in July 2025, according to prosecutors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an Arabic \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Dq_g-d9XI\">podcast interview\u003c/a> last month, according to the Times, Alfozan said he and other Saudi tech professionals in Silicon Valley had formed a group that advised Saudi organizations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_9799_17143067-1792446196.pdf&type=application/pdf\">filing\u003c/a> in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California unsealed last week, prosecutors detailed how OpenAI’s security team had found a thumb-size recording device on Sept. 30, wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television in an executive conference room. Only executives and their assistants could reserve the room, which was used for leadership meetings and briefings with government officials, the criminal complaint said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI employees then placed a camera in the conference room, prosecutors said, and it recorded Alfozan checking behind the TV on Oct. 5. That day, security staff found a second device in a bag that Alfozan had left in a printer room, the complaint said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, a ChatGPT account linked to Alfozan’s wife was used to ask how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, encrypt its memory card and hide its activity. Alfozan asked an AI tool to list meeting rooms in OpenAI’s offices and asked about locations for “leadership and exec,” prosecutors said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The case is a reminder of how much information chatbot companies like OpenAI retain.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your chatbot conversations in general are less private than you might assume,” Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI wrote KQED, adding that in a case where the company is also the alleged victim, it may be likelier to volunteer information rather than demand legal process for any information disclosure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nearly every company logs your IP address when you create an account and/or login,” said Jen King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, who has \u003ca href=\"https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/AIES/article/view/36646/38784\">researched\u003c/a> AI companies’ privacy policies. “If you are not deleting your chats, and not using a temporary chat window, the chats associated with your account in most cases are kept indefinitely,” she added in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote that whether Alfozan wanted to record meetings “to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid [to] a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Saudi Consulate General did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan is next due in court Nov. 6, for a status conference on the preliminary hearing — the same day Alfozan was scheduled for his U.S. citizenship interview, \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_60188_17143067-1792449015.pdf&type=application/pdf\">according to his lawyers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 20 to add a new comment from William Pernik.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a court filing Sunday, prosecutors argued that Alfozan was “mere days away from leaving the United States for Saudi Arabia when he was arrested.” Prosecutors also cited his Bay Area earnings, at least two Saudi bank accounts, and “what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government” with no U.S. extradition treaty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We respectfully disagree with the decision and will continue to fight for his release,” Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, wrote to KQED on Tuesday. “Mr. Alfozan is a lawful permanent resident of the United States with years of significant contributions and ties to his community, as well as science and technology. I believe firmly that perception of who he is will change once full facts come out.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If he really was an agent of a foreign government, why wouldn’t he just abscond right away?” Pernik said, according to the Times. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors said in their filing Sunday that Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who tried to recruit him to a new Saudi artificial intelligence initiative. In one message, prosecutors said, the Saudi royal family member wrote to Alfozan that “Saudi needs you more” than the US. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alfozan’s response, according to prosecutors: “100.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Alfozan said he would not leave OpenAI until his stock vested. His new-hire equity grant was worth $2.2 million, according to the filing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a footnote, prosecutors pointed to a 2019 case in the same court, in which a Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia left the U.S. the day after the company confronted him — a departure the U.S government says was coordinated with the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles. He has never returned to face charges.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a footnote, prosecutors pointed to a 2019 case in the same court, in which a Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia left the U.S. the day after the company confronted him — a departure the U.S government says was coordinated with the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles. He has never returned to face charges.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The government’s filing cited the fact that Alfozan’s wife and their 3-month-old baby flew to Doha, Qatar, the day after his arrest on a business-class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. His wife now lives in Saudi Arabia, per the filing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alfozan has been in jail since his arrest on a charge of using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. He faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison if convicted. OpenAI fired him after his arrest but has said it has no indication Alfozan improperly accessed or took model weights, source code or customer data.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tse’s decision to deny Alfozan bail was “no surprise” to Rory Little, a professor at UC Law San Francisco, “given the one-way trip tickets and he’s not a citizen.” Little also told KQED he would be surprised if Alfozan’s lawyers seek an immediate appeal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alfozan came to the U.S. in 2009, earned degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley, became a permanent resident in 2020 and joined OpenAI in July 2025, according to prosecutors.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an Arabic \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Dq_g-d9XI\">podcast interview\u003c/a> last month, according to the Times, Alfozan said he and other Saudi tech professionals in Silicon Valley had formed a group that advised Saudi organizations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an Arabic \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Dq_g-d9XI\">podcast interview\u003c/a> last month, according to the Times, Alfozan said he and other Saudi tech professionals in Silicon Valley had formed a group that advised Saudi organizations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_9799_17143067-1792446196.pdf&type=application/pdf\">filing\u003c/a> in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California unsealed last week, prosecutors detailed how OpenAI’s security team had found a thumb-size recording device on Sept. 30, wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television in an executive conference room. Only executives and their assistants could reserve the room, which was used for leadership meetings and briefings with government officials, the criminal complaint said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_9799_17143067-1792446196.pdf&type=application/pdf\">filing\u003c/a> in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California unsealed last week, prosecutors detailed how OpenAI’s security team had found a thumb-size recording device on Sept. 30, wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television in an executive conference room. Only executives and their assistants could reserve the room, which was used for leadership meetings and briefings with government officials, the criminal complaint said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>OpenAI employees then placed a camera in the conference room, prosecutors said, and it recorded Alfozan checking behind the TV on Oct. 5. That day, security staff found a second device in a bag that Alfozan had left in a printer room, the complaint said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>OpenAI employees then placed a camera in the conference room, prosecutors said, and it recorded Alfozan checking behind the TV on Oct. 5. That day, security staff found a second device in a bag that Alfozan had left in a printer room, the complaint said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last month, a ChatGPT account linked to Alfozan’s wife was used to ask how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, encrypt its memory card and hide its activity. Alfozan asked an AI tool to list meeting rooms in OpenAI’s offices and asked about locations for “leadership and exec,” prosecutors said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last month, a ChatGPT account linked to Alfozan’s wife was used to ask how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, encrypt its memory card and hide its activity. Alfozan asked an AI tool to list meeting rooms in OpenAI’s offices and asked about locations for “leadership and exec,” prosecutors said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The case is a reminder of how much information chatbot companies like OpenAI retain.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Your chatbot conversations in general are less private than you might assume,” Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI wrote KQED, adding that in a case where the company is also the alleged victim, it may be likelier to volunteer information rather than demand legal process for any information disclosure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Your chatbot conversations in general are less private than you might assume,” Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI wrote KQED, adding that in a case where the company is also the alleged victim, it may be likelier to volunteer information rather than demand legal process for any information disclosure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Nearly every company logs your IP address when you create an account and/or login,” said Jen King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, who has \u003ca href=\"https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/AIES/article/view/36646/38784\">researched\u003c/a> AI companies’ privacy policies. “If you are not deleting your chats, and not using a temporary chat window, the chats associated with your account in most cases are kept indefinitely,” she added in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote that whether Alfozan wanted to record meetings “to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid [to] a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote that whether Alfozan wanted to record meetings “to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid [to] a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>OpenAI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Saudi Consulate General did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alfozan is next due in court Nov. 6, for a status conference on the preliminary hearing — the same day Alfozan was scheduled for his U.S. citizenship interview, \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_60188_17143067-1792449015.pdf&type=application/pdf\">according to his lawyers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 20 to add a new comment from William Pernik.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Abdulrahman Alfozan, accused of hiding a recording device in a San Francisco conference room, will stay in jail until trial after a U.S. judge found the Saudi national posed a significant flight risk. \n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a> engineer who was accused last week of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/technology/openai-worker-arrested-bugging.html\">planting a secret recording device\u003c/a> at the company’s San Francisco offices was ordered detained without bail pending trial Monday. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse said there is a “significant” risk he would flee, according to CNBC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse’s order came at a San Francisco court hearing where he questioned an offer by the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to back the full bond for Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse reportedly said he found that offer “problematic,” and asked what confidence he should have that the Saudi government would protect the interests of the U.S. government.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a court filing Sunday, prosecutors argued that Alfozan was “mere days away from leaving the United States for Saudi Arabia when he was arrested.” Prosecutors also cited his Bay Area earnings, at least two Saudi bank accounts, and “what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government” with no U.S. extradition treaty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We respectfully disagree with the decision and will continue to fight for his release,” Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, wrote to KQED on Tuesday. “Mr. Alfozan is a lawful permanent resident of the United States with years of significant contributions and ties to his community, as well as science and technology. I believe firmly that perception of who he is will change once full facts come out.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/OpenAISFGetty-a0787728-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees gather at the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If he really was an agent of a foreign government, why wouldn’t he just abscond right away?” Pernik said, according to the Times. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors said in their filing Sunday that Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who tried to recruit him to a new Saudi artificial intelligence initiative. In one message, prosecutors said, the Saudi royal family member wrote to Alfozan that “Saudi needs you more” than the US. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan’s response, according to prosecutors: “100.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alfozan said he would not leave OpenAI until his stock vested. His new-hire equity grant was worth $2.2 million, according to the filing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a footnote, prosecutors pointed to a 2019 case in the same court, in which a Twitter employee accused of spying for Saudi Arabia left the U.S. the day after the company confronted him — a departure the U.S government says was coordinated with the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles. He has never returned to face charges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The government’s filing cited the fact that Alfozan’s wife and their 3-month-old baby flew to Doha, Qatar, the day after his arrest on a business-class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. His wife now lives in Saudi Arabia, per the filing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan has been in jail since his arrest on a charge of using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. He faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison if convicted. OpenAI fired him after his arrest but has said it has no indication Alfozan improperly accessed or took model weights, source code or customer data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tse’s decision to deny Alfozan bail was “no surprise” to Rory Little, a professor at UC Law San Francisco, “given the one-way trip tickets and he’s not a citizen.” Little also told KQED he would be surprised if Alfozan’s lawyers seek an immediate appeal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan came to the U.S. in 2009, earned degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley, became a permanent resident in 2020 and joined OpenAI in July 2025, according to prosecutors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an Arabic \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Dq_g-d9XI\">podcast interview\u003c/a> last month, according to the Times, Alfozan said he and other Saudi tech professionals in Silicon Valley had formed a group that advised Saudi organizations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_9799_17143067-1792446196.pdf&type=application/pdf\">filing\u003c/a> in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California unsealed last week, prosecutors detailed how OpenAI’s security team had found a thumb-size recording device on Sept. 30, wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television in an executive conference room. Only executives and their assistants could reserve the room, which was used for leadership meetings and briefings with government officials, the criminal complaint said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI employees then placed a camera in the conference room, prosecutors said, and it recorded Alfozan checking behind the TV on Oct. 5. That day, security staff found a second device in a bag that Alfozan had left in a printer room, the complaint said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, a ChatGPT account linked to Alfozan’s wife was used to ask how to build a continuous audio recorder, add Wi-Fi connectivity, encrypt its memory card and hide its activity. Alfozan asked an AI tool to list meeting rooms in OpenAI’s offices and asked about locations for “leadership and exec,” prosecutors said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The case is a reminder of how much information chatbot companies like OpenAI retain.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your chatbot conversations in general are less private than you might assume,” Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI wrote KQED, adding that in a case where the company is also the alleged victim, it may be likelier to volunteer information rather than demand legal process for any information disclosure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nearly every company logs your IP address when you create an account and/or login,” said Jen King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, who has \u003ca href=\"https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/AIES/article/view/36646/38784\">researched\u003c/a> AI companies’ privacy policies. “If you are not deleting your chats, and not using a temporary chat window, the chats associated with your account in most cases are kept indefinitely,” she added in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors wrote that whether Alfozan wanted to record meetings “to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid [to] a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Saudi Consulate General did not respond to requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alfozan is next due in court Nov. 6, for a status conference on the preliminary hearing — the same day Alfozan was scheduled for his U.S. citizenship interview, \u003ca href=\"https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_temp.pl?file=merged_60188_17143067-1792449015.pdf&type=application/pdf\">according to his lawyers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 20 to add a new comment from William Pernik.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "former-thao-staffer-says-office-was-asked-about-alleged-child-sex-trafficking-on-vietnam-trip",
"title": "Former Thao Staffer Says Office Was Asked About Alleged Child Sex Trafficking on Vietnam Trip",
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"headTitle": "Former Thao Staffer Says Office Was Asked About Alleged Child Sex Trafficking on Vietnam Trip | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>During the first day of testimony on Thursday in the federal corruption \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao-trial\">trial of Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, the ex-mayor’s chief of staff told the court a journalist reached out to her office to ask about potential sex trafficking of minors during a 2023 trade trip to Vietnam. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The explosive allegations come as Thao faces bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges alongside her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong, and his son, Andy Duong. All attended the trip, which was spearheaded by the Vietnamese American Business Association, a group Duong chaired. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the roughly five hours of testimony, Leigh Hanson, Thao’s friend and former chief of staff, also disclosed concerns she had aired regarding Jones’ unofficial and at times inappropriate role in the mayor’s office, as well as criticisms she voiced about Thao’s staffing picks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said that after Thao returned from Vietnam, a journalist reached out to the mayor’s office regarding some of the people on the trip who were stopped by customs in relation to “concern that there was drug paraphernalia” and “potentially involvement with young women.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-10-scaled-e1792105909155.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098348\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins and former Mayor Sheng Thao’s Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson wait while former Rep. Barbara Lee files paperwork to run for mayor at City Hall in Oakland, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said the journalist told Francis Zamora, Thao’s former communications director, that “there was potential a story would be written about that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said when she and Zamora relayed the message to Thao, the former mayor became “very upset at Andy Duong,” saying of him, “I hate that fucking playboy, he’s always been trouble, he’s going to ruin my career.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Andy Duong did not respond to a request for comment as he left the courthouse. His attorneys said any response would come “only in court.” They have not cross-examined Hanson yet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao was vocal in her platform about sexual mistreatment of women, Hanson said, adding she was “incredibly upset that potentially some members of the delegation potentially participated.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson also testified she had concerns about Jones’ role in the mayor’s office. He was not a city employee or formal member of Thao’s team, but Hanson said he attended multiple meetings unannounced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In January 2023, Hanson said Jones attended a meeting between city staffers and the city attorney about the decision to remove Oakland’s police chief at the time, Leonne Armstrong, and place him \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974985/former-oakland-police-chief-leronne-armstrong-sues-city-for-wrongful-termination\">on leave\u003c/a> after reports that the department improperly investigated misconduct charges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said that the meeting ultimately didn’t occur. She walked out of the room over concerns that having Jones present would jeopardize the confidentiality afforded to city employees meeting about privileged information, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson alleged that in response to her concerns, Jones appeared to threaten her job, saying: “We’ll see which one of us is left at the end of the day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That same month, Hanson said Jones also joined a virtual interview she was conducting with a potential housing specialist unannounced. She said she told Thao that she was surprised and frustrated with his presence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed out that Thao also had multiple other trusted advisors who didn’t hold official roles in her office, including Zac Unger, now a city councilmember, who at the time was a leader of the Association of Firefighters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorney, Daryl Tarver, asked Hanson if she recalled that “Thao had a number of advisors who were not employees” and felt it was “important to get community perspective” from people like pastors, business leaders and first responders. Hanson said yes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedman also asked Hanson about a key aspect of their case against the former mayor: Thao’s interest in elevating Larry Gallegos, a project manager in the city’s economic workforce development department, to a director role within the city’s administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have alleged that as part of the quid pro quo Thao and Jones made with the Duongs, she agreed to place their favored candidates in leadership positions, and, according to the federal indictment, that Gallegos was one of those candidates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson testified that Thao suggested Gallegos might be a good fit for the housing department and was interested in elevating him to a leadership role. Hanson said she disagreed and told Thao he wasn’t qualified, but suggested he could be a good leader in his current department. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026, for the opening day of her federal corruption trial. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was worried about retaining some of our really high-quality leaders in the housing department, and hiring a really strong director would be important,” she testified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said she believed she and Thao had come to an agreement that he would remain in the economic and workforce development department. But on March 10, 2023, Thao told Hanson he’d be appointed deputy housing director. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson texted Thao, confused by the sudden change in course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She shared that she had spoken to Harold and that he would be appointed to the deputy director housing role,” Hanson testified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gallegos was named Interim Deputy Director that day, just one day after prosecutors said Thao attended a dinner with all the co-defendants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson will continue testifying next week, when the trial resumes Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson also testified she had concerns about Jones’ role in the mayor’s office. He was not a city employee or formal member of Thao’s team, but Hanson said he attended multiple meetings unannounced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In January 2023, Hanson said Jones attended a meeting between city staffers and the city attorney about the decision to remove Oakland’s police chief at the time, Leonne Armstrong, and place him \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974985/former-oakland-police-chief-leronne-armstrong-sues-city-for-wrongful-termination\">on leave\u003c/a> after reports that the department improperly investigated misconduct charges.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In January 2023, Hanson said Jones attended a meeting between city staffers and the city attorney about the decision to remove Oakland’s police chief at the time, Leonne Armstrong, and place him \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974985/former-oakland-police-chief-leronne-armstrong-sues-city-for-wrongful-termination\">on leave\u003c/a> after reports that the department improperly investigated misconduct charges.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson said that the meeting ultimately didn’t occur. She walked out of the room over concerns that having Jones present would jeopardize the confidentiality afforded to city employees meeting about privileged information, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson alleged that in response to her concerns, Jones appeared to threaten her job, saying: “We’ll see which one of us is left at the end of the day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That same month, Hanson said Jones also joined a virtual interview she was conducting with a potential housing specialist unannounced. She said she told Thao that she was surprised and frustrated with his presence.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed out that Thao also had multiple other trusted advisors who didn’t hold official roles in her office, including Zac Unger, now a city councilmember, who at the time was a leader of the Association of Firefighters. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorney, Daryl Tarver, asked Hanson if she recalled that “Thao had a number of advisors who were not employees” and felt it was “important to get community perspective” from people like pastors, business leaders and first responders. Hanson said yes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedman also asked Hanson about a key aspect of their case against the former mayor: Thao’s interest in elevating Larry Gallegos, a project manager in the city’s economic workforce development department, to a director role within the city’s administration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedman also asked Hanson about a key aspect of their case against the former mayor: Thao’s interest in elevating Larry Gallegos, a project manager in the city’s economic workforce development department, to a director role within the city’s administration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have alleged that as part of the quid pro quo Thao and Jones made with the Duongs, she agreed to place their favored candidates in leadership positions, and, according to the federal indictment, that Gallegos was one of those candidates.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have alleged that as part of the quid pro quo Thao and Jones made with the Duongs, she agreed to place their favored candidates in leadership positions, and, according to the federal indictment, that Gallegos was one of those candidates.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson testified that Thao suggested Gallegos might be a good fit for the housing department and was interested in elevating him to a leadership role. Hanson said she disagreed and told Thao he wasn’t qualified, but suggested he could be a good leader in his current department. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hanson testified that Thao suggested Gallegos might be a good fit for the housing department and was interested in elevating him to a leadership role. Hanson said she disagreed and told Thao he wasn’t qualified, but suggested he could be a good leader in his current department. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026, for the opening day of her federal corruption trial.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104318\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026, for the opening day of her federal corruption trial.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was worried about retaining some of our really high-quality leaders in the housing department, and hiring a really strong director would be important,” she testified. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson said she believed she and Thao had come to an agreement that he would remain in the economic and workforce development department. But on March 10, 2023, Thao told Hanson he’d be appointed deputy housing director. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hanson said she believed she and Thao had come to an agreement that he would remain in the economic and workforce development department. But on March 10, 2023, Thao told Hanson he’d be appointed deputy housing director. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson texted Thao, confused by the sudden change in course. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She shared that she had spoken to Harold and that he would be appointed to the deputy director housing role,” Hanson testified. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gallegos was named Interim Deputy Director that day, just one day after prosecutors said Thao attended a dinner with all the co-defendants.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson will continue testifying next week, when the trial resumes Monday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "During the first day of testimony in the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her former chief of staff also testified about her concerns over the role Thao’s romantic partner held in her office and criticisms of her staffing picks. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>During the first day of testimony on Thursday in the federal corruption \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao-trial\">trial of Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, the ex-mayor’s chief of staff told the court a journalist reached out to her office to ask about potential sex trafficking of minors during a 2023 trade trip to Vietnam. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The explosive allegations come as Thao faces bribery, conspiracy and fraud charges alongside her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, recycling executive David Duong, and his son, Andy Duong. All attended the trip, which was spearheaded by the Vietnamese American Business Association, a group Duong chaired. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the roughly five hours of testimony, Leigh Hanson, Thao’s friend and former chief of staff, also disclosed concerns she had aired regarding Jones’ unofficial and at times inappropriate role in the mayor’s office, as well as criticisms she voiced about Thao’s staffing picks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said that after Thao returned from Vietnam, a journalist reached out to the mayor’s office regarding some of the people on the trip who were stopped by customs in relation to “concern that there was drug paraphernalia” and “potentially involvement with young women.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260903-ShengThaoTrial-10-scaled-e1792105909155.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098348\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins and former Mayor Sheng Thao’s Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson wait while former Rep. Barbara Lee files paperwork to run for mayor at City Hall in Oakland, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said the journalist told Francis Zamora, Thao’s former communications director, that “there was potential a story would be written about that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said when she and Zamora relayed the message to Thao, the former mayor became “very upset at Andy Duong,” saying of him, “I hate that fucking playboy, he’s always been trouble, he’s going to ruin my career.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Andy Duong did not respond to a request for comment as he left the courthouse. His attorneys said any response would come “only in court.” They have not cross-examined Hanson yet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao was vocal in her platform about sexual mistreatment of women, Hanson said, adding she was “incredibly upset that potentially some members of the delegation potentially participated.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a co-defendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson also testified she had concerns about Jones’ role in the mayor’s office. He was not a city employee or formal member of Thao’s team, but Hanson said he attended multiple meetings unannounced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In January 2023, Hanson said Jones attended a meeting between city staffers and the city attorney about the decision to remove Oakland’s police chief at the time, Leonne Armstrong, and place him \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11974985/former-oakland-police-chief-leronne-armstrong-sues-city-for-wrongful-termination\">on leave\u003c/a> after reports that the department improperly investigated misconduct charges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said that the meeting ultimately didn’t occur. She walked out of the room over concerns that having Jones present would jeopardize the confidentiality afforded to city employees meeting about privileged information, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson alleged that in response to her concerns, Jones appeared to threaten her job, saying: “We’ll see which one of us is left at the end of the day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That same month, Hanson said Jones also joined a virtual interview she was conducting with a potential housing specialist unannounced. She said she told Thao that she was surprised and frustrated with his presence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed out that Thao also had multiple other trusted advisors who didn’t hold official roles in her office, including Zac Unger, now a city councilmember, who at the time was a leader of the Association of Firefighters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao’s attorney, Daryl Tarver, asked Hanson if she recalled that “Thao had a number of advisors who were not employees” and felt it was “important to get community perspective” from people like pastors, business leaders and first responders. Hanson said yes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Priedman also asked Hanson about a key aspect of their case against the former mayor: Thao’s interest in elevating Larry Gallegos, a project manager in the city’s economic workforce development department, to a director role within the city’s administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors have alleged that as part of the quid pro quo Thao and Jones made with the Duongs, she agreed to place their favored candidates in leadership positions, and, according to the federal indictment, that Gallegos was one of those candidates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson testified that Thao suggested Gallegos might be a good fit for the housing department and was interested in elevating him to a leadership role. Hanson said she disagreed and told Thao he wasn’t qualified, but suggested he could be a good leader in his current department. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104318\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-05-BL-KQED-aa7cf255-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026, for the opening day of her federal corruption trial. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was worried about retaining some of our really high-quality leaders in the housing department, and hiring a really strong director would be important,” she testified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson said she believed she and Thao had come to an agreement that he would remain in the economic and workforce development department. But on March 10, 2023, Thao told Hanson he’d be appointed deputy housing director. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson texted Thao, confused by the sudden change in course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She shared that she had spoken to Harold and that he would be appointed to the deputy director housing role,” Hanson testified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gallegos was named Interim Deputy Director that day, just one day after prosecutors said Thao attended a dinner with all the co-defendants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson will continue testifying next week, when the trial resumes Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "politics-as-profit-or-pure-fiction-bribery-trial-of-ex-oakland-mayor-kicks-off",
"title": "Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Trial Brings Alleged Quid Pro Quo Into Focus",
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"headTitle": "Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Trial Brings Alleged Quid Pro Quo Into Focus | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>More than a year after former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and three codefendants were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted\u003c/a> in an alleged bribery scheme that roiled the city’s political circles, their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103084/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-is-going-on-trial-for-bribery-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">long-awaited trial\u003c/a> got underway Wednesday with five very different storylines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, and father and son Andy and David Duong engaged in a quid pro quo: In the run-up to the 2022 mayoral election, the Duongs would fund a negative ad campaign against Thao’s opponents and pay Jones $300,000 for a no-show job. In exchange, Thao would use her power if elected mayor to give favorable treatment to the Duongs’ business, California Waste Solutions, as well as to a housing startup called Evolutionary Homes that sought to turn shipping containers into homes for people exiting homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sheng Thao was a public official on the take, and she and Andre Jones were open for business,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine said during his opening statement to the court. “David and Andy Duong were looking for results and were willing to pay bribes to get them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Assistant United States Attorney Abraham Fine gives his opening statement during the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong sit to the side, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is not politics as usual,” he said, “this is politics as profit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each of the defendants has pleaded not guilty, and none spoke to reporters after opening statements on Tuesday. While each of their attorneys painted a different picture of what actually happened between the parties, they all agreed that Mario Juarez — the Duongs’ former business partner and the prosecution’s key witness — should not be believed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The narrator of this story is that person named Mario Juarez, and what you will quickly discover is that the story that has been introduced to you is pure fiction,” Thao’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The trial comes more than two years after the FBI executed early morning raids of the home Thao shared with Jones, as well as Andy and David Duong’s homes and California Waste Solutions’ headquarters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The operation added fuel to a campaign already underway to recall Thao. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">removed from office\u003c/a> in November 2024 and indicted on the bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges shortly after. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sheng Thao was not for sale\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai painted Thao as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">young, determined politician\u003c/a> who came into office in January 2023 prepared to tackle major challenges facing the city of Oakland — from a homelessness crisis and budget deficit to gun violence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao had known Juarez from her years as a staffer in Oakland City Hall, but Tsai said Thao kept him at a comfortable distance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai alleged Juarez repeatedly tried to offer Thao support throughout her 2022 mayoral campaign. When they finally met in October, just weeks before Election Day, Juarez allegedly told Thao that labor unions sent him to help her win, and he planned to produce a political mailer in support of her race.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104424\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeffrey Tsai (left), attorney for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (second from right), gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Thao and codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There was certainly no agreement for any bribe of any kind, no discussion of $300,000 or modular housing units,” Tsai said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai said that after her election, Juarez repeatedly appealed to Thao, advocating for city contracts for companies he was affiliated with, including ABC Security Service Inc. — which provides \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/12/17/oakland-leaders-reluctantly-extend-security-contract-again/\">security services\u003c/a> at city properties — and urging her to appoint his favored candidates to top city positions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai said Thao repeatedly rebuked his requests and had no knowledge of any bribery scheme promising city contracts and staff appointments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show that the real Sheng Thao is not the profile of someone who would sell her office that she fought so hard to earn in the first place,” Tsai told the jury.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones had a ‘real job’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jones’ defense attorney, Mark Goldrosen, spent his opening on behalf of Thao’s longtime romantic partner defending the “government relations” role Jones held with the container home startup Juarez and Andy Duong founded that’s at the center of the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a codefendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Goldrosen said Evolutionary Homes aligned with Jones’ interests and qualifications, both in reducing homelessness and working with local governments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was hired to serve as a consultant and would be paid on commission. But as the company got off the ground, Goldrosen said he was paid advances, totaling $75,000, to “keep him available” to Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">David Duong: A normal businessman\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like Thao, David Duong’s attorney told the court he was oblivious to any scheme. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Schenk described David as a hardworking immigrant from Vietnam and a legitimate businessman. He held the financial power, Schenk said, but had no knowledge of any bribery scheme or deals that his son and Juarez allegedly made with Thao and Jones. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He referred the jury to a series of texts between Andy Duong and Juarez in March 2023, in which Juarez asked Andy if they should “tell David” about updates to their alleged arrangement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If David Duong was a partner in crime … why, five months after the beginning, does Juarez have to ask if they should share?” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong didn’t break any laws\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>None of the other defendants’ stories, however, seemed to vindicate Andy Duong — who prosecutors allege spearheaded negotiations in the scheme with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His counsel, Winston Chan, acknowledged that some of the text communication he had with Juarez, taken out of context, couldn’t be denied. However, he said the government had crafted a story based on “cherry-picked” messages and notes. He said Duong’s texts cheering Thao’s victory were not unusual for a politically engaged voter, and his response to Juarez saying Thao would buy housing units from Evolutionary Homes reflected a startup founder’s shock and excitement that a city might invest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not one bit of these facts equals the bribery scheme the government is alleging,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether the pieces of evidence the prosecution presents add up to the story of bribery the government has alleged “lives or dies” on Juarez’s testimony, Chan told the jury, and whether, “when he takes the stand, you believe what he says.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mario Juarez: A ‘consummate hustler’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout the day, defense attorneys repeatedly undermined Juarez’s credibility, describing him as a “consummate hustler” and “vengeful” with a tendency to tell “half truths.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the source of the information is unreliable, you see that the allegations fall apart,” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fine got ahead of the criticism in his own opening statement, saying of Juarez: “You’ll hear and see, he is no angel.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, he said, the Evolutionary Homes cofounder would “give you an insider’s view of this bribery scheme.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He’ll talk about the evidence, what was said in the meetings,” Fine told the jury, “tell you some about his history of doing dirty work for the Duong family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fine pledged that throughout the trial, prosecutors planned to present copious text messages, taped phone calls, video recordings and financial records chronicling the conspiracy and bribery scheme — and corroborating Juarez’s claims. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you hear Juarez’s testimony, will see how it lines up with all of that other evidence,” Fine told the court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the first day of testimony on Thursday, prosecutors plan to call Leigh Hanson, who served as Thao’s chief of staff. Hanson parted with the city shortly after Kevin Jenkins took office as interim mayor following Thao’s recall and subsequently \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/04/01/leigh-hanson-oakland-mayor-chief-of-staff-whistleblower-lawsuit/\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> against Oakland alleging that she was wrongfully fired.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, and father and son Andy and David Duong engaged in a quid pro quo: In the run-up to the 2022 mayoral election, the Duongs would fund a negative ad campaign against Thao’s opponents and pay Jones $300,000 for a no-show job. In exchange, Thao would use her power if elected mayor to give favorable treatment to the Duongs’ business, California Waste Solutions, as well as to a housing startup called Evolutionary Homes that sought to turn shipping containers into homes for people exiting homelessness.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Assistant United States Attorney Abraham Fine gives his opening statement during the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong sit to the side, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104353\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Assistant United States Attorney Abraham Fine gives his opening statement during the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong sit to the side, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is not politics as usual,” he said, “this is politics as profit.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Each of the defendants has pleaded not guilty, and none spoke to reporters after opening statements on Tuesday. While each of their attorneys painted a different picture of what actually happened between the parties, they all agreed that Mario Juarez — the Duongs’ former business partner and the prosecution’s key witness — should not be believed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Each of the defendants has pleaded not guilty, and none spoke to reporters after opening statements on Tuesday. While each of their attorneys painted a different picture of what actually happened between the parties, they all agreed that Mario Juarez — the Duongs’ former business partner and the prosecution’s key witness — should not be believed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The narrator of this story is that person named Mario Juarez, and what you will quickly discover is that the story that has been introduced to you is pure fiction,” Thao’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The narrator of this story is that person named Mario Juarez, and what you will quickly discover is that the story that has been introduced to you is pure fiction,” Thao’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The trial comes more than two years after the FBI executed early morning raids of the home Thao shared with Jones, as well as Andy and David Duong’s homes and California Waste Solutions’ headquarters. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The trial comes more than two years after the FBI executed early morning raids of the home Thao shared with Jones, as well as Andy and David Duong’s homes and California Waste Solutions’ headquarters. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The operation added fuel to a campaign already underway to recall Thao. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">removed from office\u003c/a> in November 2024 and indicted on the bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges shortly after. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The operation added fuel to a campaign already underway to recall Thao. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">removed from office\u003c/a> in November 2024 and indicted on the bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges shortly after. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Sheng Thao was not for sale",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tsai painted Thao as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">young, determined politician\u003c/a> who came into office in January 2023 prepared to tackle major challenges facing the city of Oakland — from a homelessness crisis and budget deficit to gun violence.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tsai painted Thao as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">young, determined politician\u003c/a> who came into office in January 2023 prepared to tackle major challenges facing the city of Oakland — from a homelessness crisis and budget deficit to gun violence.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thao had known Juarez from her years as a staffer in Oakland City Hall, but Tsai said Thao kept him at a comfortable distance. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thao had known Juarez from her years as a staffer in Oakland City Hall, but Tsai said Thao kept him at a comfortable distance. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tsai alleged Juarez repeatedly tried to offer Thao support throughout her 2022 mayoral campaign. When they finally met in October, just weeks before Election Day, Juarez allegedly told Thao that labor unions sent him to help her win, and he planned to produce a political mailer in support of her race.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tsai alleged Juarez repeatedly tried to offer Thao support throughout her 2022 mayoral campaign. When they finally met in October, just weeks before Election Day, Juarez allegedly told Thao that labor unions sent him to help her win, and he planned to produce a political mailer in support of her race.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104424\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeffrey Tsai (left), attorney for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (second from right), gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Thao and codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104424\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeffrey Tsai (left), attorney for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (second from right), gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Thao and codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There was certainly no agreement for any bribe of any kind, no discussion of $300,000 or modular housing units,” Tsai said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tsai said that after her election, Juarez repeatedly appealed to Thao, advocating for city contracts for companies he was affiliated with, including ABC Security Service Inc. — which provides \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/12/17/oakland-leaders-reluctantly-extend-security-contract-again/\">security services\u003c/a> at city properties — and urging her to appoint his favored candidates to top city positions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tsai said that after her election, Juarez repeatedly appealed to Thao, advocating for city contracts for companies he was affiliated with, including ABC Security Service Inc. — which provides \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/12/17/oakland-leaders-reluctantly-extend-security-contract-again/\">security services\u003c/a> at city properties — and urging her to appoint his favored candidates to top city positions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tsai said Thao repeatedly rebuked his requests and had no knowledge of any bribery scheme promising city contracts and staff appointments.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tsai said Thao repeatedly rebuked his requests and had no knowledge of any bribery scheme promising city contracts and staff appointments.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show that the real Sheng Thao is not the profile of someone who would sell her office that she fought so hard to earn in the first place,” Tsai told the jury.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show that the real Sheng Thao is not the profile of someone who would sell her office that she fought so hard to earn in the first place,” Tsai told the jury.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Andre Jones had a ‘real job’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones had a ‘real job’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones had a ‘real job’\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jones’ defense attorney, Mark Goldrosen, spent his opening on behalf of Thao’s longtime romantic partner defending the “government relations” role Jones held with the container home startup Juarez and Andy Duong founded that’s at the center of the case. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jones’ defense attorney, Mark Goldrosen, spent his opening on behalf of Thao’s longtime romantic partner defending the “government relations” role Jones held with the container home startup Juarez and Andy Duong founded that’s at the center of the case. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a codefendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a codefendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Goldrosen said Evolutionary Homes aligned with Jones’ interests and qualifications, both in reducing homelessness and working with local governments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Goldrosen said Evolutionary Homes aligned with Jones’ interests and qualifications, both in reducing homelessness and working with local governments. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was hired to serve as a consultant and would be paid on commission. But as the company got off the ground, Goldrosen said he was paid advances, totaling $75,000, to “keep him available” to Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He was hired to serve as a consultant and would be paid on commission. But as the company got off the ground, Goldrosen said he was paid advances, totaling $75,000, to “keep him available” to Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "David Duong: A normal businessman",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like Thao, David Duong’s attorney told the court he was oblivious to any scheme. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Like Thao, David Duong’s attorney told the court he was oblivious to any scheme. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Schenk described David as a hardworking immigrant from Vietnam and a legitimate businessman. He held the financial power, Schenk said, but had no knowledge of any bribery scheme or deals that his son and Juarez allegedly made with Thao and Jones. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jeff Schenk described David as a hardworking immigrant from Vietnam and a legitimate businessman. He held the financial power, Schenk said, but had no knowledge of any bribery scheme or deals that his son and Juarez allegedly made with Thao and Jones. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He referred the jury to a series of texts between Andy Duong and Juarez in March 2023, in which Juarez asked Andy if they should “tell David” about updates to their alleged arrangement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He referred the jury to a series of texts between Andy Duong and Juarez in March 2023, in which Juarez asked Andy if they should “tell David” about updates to their alleged arrangement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If David Duong was a partner in crime … why, five months after the beginning, does Juarez have to ask if they should share?” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>None of the other defendants’ stories, however, seemed to vindicate Andy Duong — who prosecutors allege spearheaded negotiations in the scheme with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His counsel, Winston Chan, acknowledged that some of the text communication he had with Juarez, taken out of context, couldn’t be denied. However, he said the government had crafted a story based on “cherry-picked” messages and notes. He said Duong’s texts cheering Thao’s victory were not unusual for a politically engaged voter, and his response to Juarez saying Thao would buy housing units from Evolutionary Homes reflected a startup founder’s shock and excitement that a city might invest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Not one bit of these facts equals the bribery scheme the government is alleging,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whether the pieces of evidence the prosecution presents add up to the story of bribery the government has alleged “lives or dies” on Juarez’s testimony, Chan told the jury, and whether, “when he takes the stand, you believe what he says.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Mario Juarez: A ‘consummate hustler’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When the source of the information is unreliable, you see that the allegations fall apart,” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fine got ahead of the criticism in his own opening statement, saying of Juarez: “You’ll hear and see, he is no angel.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, he said, the Evolutionary Homes cofounder would “give you an insider’s view of this bribery scheme.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He’ll talk about the evidence, what was said in the meetings,” Fine told the jury, “tell you some about his history of doing dirty work for the Duong family.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fine pledged that throughout the trial, prosecutors planned to present copious text messages, taped phone calls, video recordings and financial records chronicling the conspiracy and bribery scheme — and corroborating Juarez’s claims. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When you hear Juarez’s testimony, will see how it lines up with all of that other evidence,” Fine told the court.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the first day of testimony on Thursday, prosecutors plan to call Leigh Hanson, who served as Thao’s chief of staff. Hanson parted with the city shortly after Kevin Jenkins took office as interim mayor following Thao’s recall and subsequently \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/04/01/leigh-hanson-oakland-mayor-chief-of-staff-whistleblower-lawsuit/\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> against Oakland alleging that she was wrongfully fired.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, prosecutors claimed Thao put her political power up for sale, while defense attorneys attempted to impeach the government’s star witness. ",
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"title": "Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Trial Brings Alleged Quid Pro Quo Into Focus | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>More than a year after former Oakland Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and three codefendants were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted\u003c/a> in an alleged bribery scheme that roiled the city’s political circles, their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103084/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-is-going-on-trial-for-bribery-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">long-awaited trial\u003c/a> got underway Wednesday with five very different storylines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors allege Thao, her longtime romantic partner Andre Jones, and father and son Andy and David Duong engaged in a quid pro quo: In the run-up to the 2022 mayoral election, the Duongs would fund a negative ad campaign against Thao’s opponents and pay Jones $300,000 for a no-show job. In exchange, Thao would use her power if elected mayor to give favorable treatment to the Duongs’ business, California Waste Solutions, as well as to a housing startup called Evolutionary Homes that sought to turn shipping containers into homes for people exiting homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sheng Thao was a public official on the take, and she and Andre Jones were open for business,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine said during his opening statement to the court. “David and Andy Duong were looking for results and were willing to pay bribes to get them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104353\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch1_VB-KQED-1da243ee-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Assistant United States Attorney Abraham Fine gives his opening statement during the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong sit to the side, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is not politics as usual,” he said, “this is politics as profit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each of the defendants has pleaded not guilty, and none spoke to reporters after opening statements on Tuesday. While each of their attorneys painted a different picture of what actually happened between the parties, they all agreed that Mario Juarez — the Duongs’ former business partner and the prosecution’s key witness — should not be believed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The narrator of this story is that person named Mario Juarez, and what you will quickly discover is that the story that has been introduced to you is pure fiction,” Thao’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The trial comes more than two years after the FBI executed early morning raids of the home Thao shared with Jones, as well as Andy and David Duong’s homes and California Waste Solutions’ headquarters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The operation added fuel to a campaign already underway to recall Thao. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">removed from office\u003c/a> in November 2024 and indicted on the bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges shortly after. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sheng Thao was not for sale\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai painted Thao as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">young, determined politician\u003c/a> who came into office in January 2023 prepared to tackle major challenges facing the city of Oakland — from a homelessness crisis and budget deficit to gun violence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thao had known Juarez from her years as a staffer in Oakland City Hall, but Tsai said Thao kept him at a comfortable distance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai alleged Juarez repeatedly tried to offer Thao support throughout her 2022 mayoral campaign. When they finally met in October, just weeks before Election Day, Juarez allegedly told Thao that labor unions sent him to help her win, and he planned to produce a political mailer in support of her race.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104424\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/ShengThaoOpeningStatements_Sketch2_VB-KQED-e1ec0350-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeffrey Tsai (left), attorney for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (second from right), gives his opening statements in the federal corruption trial of Thao and codefendants Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong, at the U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Vicki Behringer for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There was certainly no agreement for any bribe of any kind, no discussion of $300,000 or modular housing units,” Tsai said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai said that after her election, Juarez repeatedly appealed to Thao, advocating for city contracts for companies he was affiliated with, including ABC Security Service Inc. — which provides \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/12/17/oakland-leaders-reluctantly-extend-security-contract-again/\">security services\u003c/a> at city properties — and urging her to appoint his favored candidates to top city positions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tsai said Thao repeatedly rebuked his requests and had no knowledge of any bribery scheme promising city contracts and staff appointments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show that the real Sheng Thao is not the profile of someone who would sell her office that she fought so hard to earn in the first place,” Tsai told the jury.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andre Jones had a ‘real job’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jones’ defense attorney, Mark Goldrosen, spent his opening on behalf of Thao’s longtime romantic partner defending the “government relations” role Jones held with the container home startup Juarez and Andy Duong founded that’s at the center of the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-13-BL-KQED-e1d5bdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andre Jones, longtime partner of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and a codefendant in her federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Goldrosen said Evolutionary Homes aligned with Jones’ interests and qualifications, both in reducing homelessness and working with local governments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He was hired to serve as a consultant and would be paid on commission. But as the company got off the ground, Goldrosen said he was paid advances, totaling $75,000, to “keep him available” to Evolutionary Homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">David Duong: A normal businessman\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like Thao, David Duong’s attorney told the court he was oblivious to any scheme. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Schenk described David as a hardworking immigrant from Vietnam and a legitimate businessman. He held the financial power, Schenk said, but had no knowledge of any bribery scheme or deals that his son and Juarez allegedly made with Thao and Jones. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-14-BL-KQED-8b44fd15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David Duong, co-owner of California Waste Solutions and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, left, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He referred the jury to a series of texts between Andy Duong and Juarez in March 2023, in which Juarez asked Andy if they should “tell David” about updates to their alleged arrangement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If David Duong was a partner in crime … why, five months after the beginning, does Juarez have to ask if they should share?” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Andy Duong didn’t break any laws\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>None of the other defendants’ stories, however, seemed to vindicate Andy Duong — who prosecutors allege spearheaded negotiations in the scheme with Juarez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His counsel, Winston Chan, acknowledged that some of the text communication he had with Juarez, taken out of context, couldn’t be denied. However, he said the government had crafted a story based on “cherry-picked” messages and notes. He said Duong’s texts cheering Thao’s victory were not unusual for a politically engaged voter, and his response to Juarez saying Thao would buy housing units from Evolutionary Homes reflected a startup founder’s shock and excitement that a city might invest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261014-ShengThaoOpeningStatements-23-BL-KQED-11da677f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andy Duong, son of California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and a codefendant in former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s federal corruption trial, enters the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not one bit of these facts equals the bribery scheme the government is alleging,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether the pieces of evidence the prosecution presents add up to the story of bribery the government has alleged “lives or dies” on Juarez’s testimony, Chan told the jury, and whether, “when he takes the stand, you believe what he says.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mario Juarez: A ‘consummate hustler’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Throughout the day, defense attorneys repeatedly undermined Juarez’s credibility, describing him as a “consummate hustler” and “vengeful” with a tendency to tell “half truths.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the source of the information is unreliable, you see that the allegations fall apart,” Schenk said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fine got ahead of the criticism in his own opening statement, saying of Juarez: “You’ll hear and see, he is no angel.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, he said, the Evolutionary Homes cofounder would “give you an insider’s view of this bribery scheme.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He’ll talk about the evidence, what was said in the meetings,” Fine told the jury, “tell you some about his history of doing dirty work for the Duong family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fine pledged that throughout the trial, prosecutors planned to present copious text messages, taped phone calls, video recordings and financial records chronicling the conspiracy and bribery scheme — and corroborating Juarez’s claims. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you hear Juarez’s testimony, will see how it lines up with all of that other evidence,” Fine told the court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the first day of testimony on Thursday, prosecutors plan to call Leigh Hanson, who served as Thao’s chief of staff. Hanson parted with the city shortly after Kevin Jenkins took office as interim mayor following Thao’s recall and subsequently \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/04/01/leigh-hanson-oakland-mayor-chief-of-staff-whistleblower-lawsuit/\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> against Oakland alleging that she was wrongfully fired.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ahall\">Alex Hall\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "suspects-in-shooting-of-san-francisco-49er-keion-white-make-first-court-appearance",
"title": "Suspects in Shooting of San Francisco 49ers Player Keion White Make First Court Appearance",
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"headTitle": "Suspects in Shooting of San Francisco 49ers Player Keion White Make First Court Appearance | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Two suspects in a shooting earlier this year that injured \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-49ers\">San Francisco 49ers\u003c/a> defensive lineman Keion White made their first appearance in court on Wednesday at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Curtis Green, an Irvine resident, and Gregory Walker, a Mountain House resident, are two of four suspects San Francisco police have identified in a Mission District shooting in February during a Super Bowl party at nightclub Dahlia Lounge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Walker is being charged with assault with a semi-automatic weapon, and Green with brandishing a firearm. The court ordered Green released from custody due to the fact that his charges are misdemeanors, while Walker, who faces felony charges, is being held without bail. They both postponed entering a plea and will return to court for arraignment on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police Chief Derrick Lew said the investigation “expanded rapidly,” with other agencies in Stockton, Los Angeles, Irvine and Atlanta, Georgia, assisting the investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Police Department Chief Derrick Lew speaks at a press conference outside the Warfield in San Francisco on Oct. 7, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It involved over 50 search warrants and assistance from over 250 law enforcement personnel,” Lew said at a press conference at SFPD headquarters on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lew said Atlanta police arrested 38-year-old Marquis Davis in his house and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36-year-old Antoine Washington in Stockton on the morning of Oct. 7. Later that day, 35-year-old Green was arrested in Irvine. On Oct. 9, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 36-year-old Walker.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Walker faces allegations that he shot his firearm at White. Walker’s private attorney, Jeff Wozniak, said he plans to get Walker released.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mr. Walker is a family man, a longshoreman, a union member,” Wozniak said. “We’re gonna show that he’s innocent, get him back to his family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Photos of guns and piles of packaged drugs and cash were on display for the press on Wednesday at SFPD headquarters. Officials said three firearms, nearly $7,000 and 15 pounds of drugs — 800 grams of MDMA, 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 1,000 grams of cocaine,120 Oxycodone pills and 4,000 grams of fentanyl — were seized throughout the investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials said the department is working with other jurisdictions to arrange for Davis and Washington to be brought to San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The February shooting reportedly followed a dispute between the NFL player and rapper Dominique Jones, also known as Lil Baby. White was shot in the ankle while he was hosting a private party in the VIP area of the lounge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We will not tolerate any type of violence in our city, but certainly not gun violence,” Jenkins said. “We had a great and amazing Super Bowl weekend that ended with this incident. And I am just so thankful to the San Francisco police that we are being able to hold those accountable who sadly chose violence on that night.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The court ordered Walker and Green not to possess weapons of any kind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police said their investigation is ongoing and they have not found a connection between the rapper and the suspects.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two suspects in a shooting earlier this year that injured \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-49ers\">San Francisco 49ers\u003c/a> defensive lineman Keion White made their first appearance in court on Wednesday at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Curtis Green, an Irvine resident, and Gregory Walker, a Mountain House resident, are two of four suspects San Francisco police have identified in a Mission District shooting in February during a Super Bowl party at nightclub Dahlia Lounge. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Walker is being charged with assault with a semi-automatic weapon, and Green with brandishing a firearm. The court ordered Green released from custody due to the fact that his charges are misdemeanors, while Walker, who faces felony charges, is being held without bail. They both postponed entering a plea and will return to court for arraignment on Monday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Walker is being charged with assault with a semi-automatic weapon, and Green with brandishing a firearm. The court ordered Green released from custody due to the fact that his charges are misdemeanors, while Walker, who faces felony charges, is being held without bail. They both postponed entering a plea and will return to court for arraignment on Monday.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Police Chief Derrick Lew said the investigation “expanded rapidly,” with other agencies in Stockton, Los Angeles, Irvine and Atlanta, Georgia, assisting the investigation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It involved over 50 search warrants and assistance from over 250 law enforcement personnel,” Lew said at a press conference at SFPD headquarters on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lew said Atlanta police arrested 38-year-old Marquis Davis in his house and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36-year-old Antoine Washington in Stockton on the morning of Oct. 7. Later that day, 35-year-old Green was arrested in Irvine. On Oct. 9, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 36-year-old Walker.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Walker faces allegations that he shot his firearm at White. Walker’s private attorney, Jeff Wozniak, said he plans to get Walker released.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mr. Walker is a family man, a longshoreman, a union member,” Wozniak said. “We’re gonna show that he’s innocent, get him back to his family.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Photos of guns and piles of packaged drugs and cash were on display for the press on Wednesday at SFPD headquarters. Officials said three firearms, nearly $7,000 and 15 pounds of drugs — 800 grams of MDMA, 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 1,000 grams of cocaine,120 Oxycodone pills and 4,000 grams of fentanyl — were seized throughout the investigation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officials said the department is working with other jurisdictions to arrange for Davis and Washington to be brought to San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The February shooting reportedly followed a dispute between the NFL player and rapper Dominique Jones, also known as Lil Baby. White was shot in the ankle while he was hosting a private party in the VIP area of the lounge.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We will not tolerate any type of violence in our city, but certainly not gun violence,” Jenkins said. “We had a great and amazing Super Bowl weekend that ended with this incident. And I am just so thankful to the San Francisco police that we are being able to hold those accountable who sadly chose violence on that night.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Gregory Walker and Curtis Green are two of four suspects identified by police in a Mission District shooting earlier this year. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Two suspects in a shooting earlier this year that injured \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-49ers\">San Francisco 49ers\u003c/a> defensive lineman Keion White made their first appearance in court on Wednesday at San Francisco’s Hall of Justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Curtis Green, an Irvine resident, and Gregory Walker, a Mountain House resident, are two of four suspects San Francisco police have identified in a Mission District shooting in February during a Super Bowl party at nightclub Dahlia Lounge. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Walker is being charged with assault with a semi-automatic weapon, and Green with brandishing a firearm. The court ordered Green released from custody due to the fact that his charges are misdemeanors, while Walker, who faces felony charges, is being held without bail. They both postponed entering a plea and will return to court for arraignment on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police Chief Derrick Lew said the investigation “expanded rapidly,” with other agencies in Stockton, Los Angeles, Irvine and Atlanta, Georgia, assisting the investigation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261007-SFDACONFERENCE-NG-5_QED-KQED-1-057279c0-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Police Department Chief Derrick Lew speaks at a press conference outside the Warfield in San Francisco on Oct. 7, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It involved over 50 search warrants and assistance from over 250 law enforcement personnel,” Lew said at a press conference at SFPD headquarters on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lew said Atlanta police arrested 38-year-old Marquis Davis in his house and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36-year-old Antoine Washington in Stockton on the morning of Oct. 7. Later that day, 35-year-old Green was arrested in Irvine. On Oct. 9, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 36-year-old Walker.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Walker faces allegations that he shot his firearm at White. Walker’s private attorney, Jeff Wozniak, said he plans to get Walker released.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mr. Walker is a family man, a longshoreman, a union member,” Wozniak said. “We’re gonna show that he’s innocent, get him back to his family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Photos of guns and piles of packaged drugs and cash were on display for the press on Wednesday at SFPD headquarters. Officials said three firearms, nearly $7,000 and 15 pounds of drugs — 800 grams of MDMA, 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 1,000 grams of cocaine,120 Oxycodone pills and 4,000 grams of fentanyl — were seized throughout the investigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials said the department is working with other jurisdictions to arrange for Davis and Washington to be brought to San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The February shooting reportedly followed a dispute between the NFL player and rapper Dominique Jones, also known as Lil Baby. White was shot in the ankle while he was hosting a private party in the VIP area of the lounge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We will not tolerate any type of violence in our city, but certainly not gun violence,” Jenkins said. “We had a great and amazing Super Bowl weekend that ended with this incident. And I am just so thankful to the San Francisco police that we are being able to hold those accountable who sadly chose violence on that night.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The court ordered Walker and Green not to possess weapons of any kind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police said their investigation is ongoing and they have not found a connection between the rapper and the suspects.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San José Parents Charged With Neglect in 8-Year-Old’s Death",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>In the wake of the tragic death of another child involved in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County \u003c/a>child welfare system, two parents have been charged with criminal neglect, and the district attorney is proposing a new approach to keeping vulnerable kids safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gabrielle Hanson and Jacob Randolph, the mother and stepfather of 8-year-old Aurora Williams, were arraigned in a San José courtroom Tuesday afternoon on felony charges of child neglect that resulted in her death, along with several other child endangerment misdemeanor charges related to the well-being of six other children in their home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aurora, who died in May following an asthma attack, is the latest of several children to die while their safety was being monitored and evaluated by the county’s embattled Department of Family and Children’s Services, which has faced intense scrutiny and state intervention due to the spate of deaths in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another child in the home was reportedly sexually assaulted while she was between ages 11 and 15 by Hanson’s brother, Jonathan Hanson, who was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault of a minor in court Tuesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This little asthmatic girl and her brothers and sisters were living in a home filled with roaches, mold, animal feces and two parents who were not providing enough care or food for their children, along with a sexual predator,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said about Aurora and her siblings at a press conference held immediately after the court hearing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458-1536x1048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gabrielle Hanson wipes her eye as she talks with Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews at her arraignment at the Hall of Justice in San José on Oct. 13, 2026. Hanson has been criminally charged in the alleged neglect death of 8-year-old Aurora Williams. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Why is this happening when we have a system that is supposed to save children from abuse, from drugs and from neglect?” Rosen said. “Of course, this is a complex problem, but public servants are supposed to solve complex and difficult problems. These children’s deaths have been met with reports and remorse and promises of reforms. And yet, here we are again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aurora’s death is “another urgent warning” about kids who are in danger in Santa Clara County, Rosen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said his office is looking into a new blueprint in which the DA’s office and other county officials “play a more direct, tangible and collaborative role in these fraud, children and family matters” to better protect kids. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This in general is a plan that creates a team of high-ranking specialists from different agencies who would jointly address the safety of our county’s most vulnerable, like Aurora,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare system has been under state oversight by the California Department of Social Services since 2023, following the overdose death of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro, who was living in a home with addicted parents, and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker at the hands of his uncle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state oversight might have wrapped up if not for the death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez this April. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs toddler, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">died in a hospital\u003c/a> after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by his relative’s son, after he was placed in that home by the county child welfare department despite several red flags and disqualifying factors, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">child endangerment conviction\u003c/a> on his relative’s record. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaxon’s death prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing of several social workers\u003c/a>, further internal reviews and tightening of control in the department, pointed criticism from county supervisors and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">another round\u003c/a> of state review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100598/santa-clara-county-placed-children-in-foster-care-without-safety-checks\">report from the state\u003c/a> last month, investigators with the California Department of Social Services found “significant systemic gaps in documentation and timeliness across required emergency placement procedures,” and that only 10% of emergency placements made by the county complied with state law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State officials also found roughly half the background checks to determine if foster parents were safe caretakers for children in need were conducted only after the children were placed in their care, and that social workers often didn’t include evidence of criminal records when reviewing potential foster parents and extended family members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Aurora’s case, police officers and detectives who searched the East San José home on Lancelot Lane in May said they “found every room was unkempt and in disarray, with a severe cockroach and insect infestation, a pungent acidic odor of urine and animal fecal matter, and visible mold throughout the residence,” a police investigative summary said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police said there were 12 reports to the child welfare department dating back to 2022, “indicating that school personnel and medical providers had repeatedly expressed concerns involving unsanitary living conditions, inadequate supervision, irregular school attendance and inconsistent medical follow-up.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1315\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793-1536x1010.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jacob Randolph, left, and Gabrielle Hanson, second from right, talk to their lawyers as they are arraigned at the Hall of Justice in San José on Oct. 13, 2026. They have been criminally charged in the alleged neglect death of 8-year-old Aurora Williams. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, DFCS records obtained from the county show that in at least four different instances since September 2023, social workers visiting the home and interviewing the parents and Aurora concluded that reports of neglect or abuse were unfounded or inconclusive, with several other similar determinations made regarding other children in the home since that time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, the county’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, ruled Aurora’s death a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain due to severe asthma, and said in a statement that “medical neglect was determined to be a significant condition in her death.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While prosecutors asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul to keep Randolph and Gabrielle Hanson in custody, Paul allowed them both to be released after court Tuesday, with criminal protective orders not to see their children, who were removed from their home after Aurora’s death, and requirements that they not supervise or care for any other children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jonathan Hanson was kept in custody with no option for bail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the court hearing, Gabrielle Hanson was seen crying and shaking her head as Deputy District Attorney Morgan Willis, in an argument to keep Hanson in custody, alleged that she showed “continual disregard” for Aurora. Willis said Hanson also “callously ignored” a plea from her stepdaughter who told Hanson that she was experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of Jonathan Hanson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson’s attorney, Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, said prosecutors were “preying on emotion in a very serious and tragic case,” but that she should be released while the case moves forward. The pair are expected back in court on Nov. 20. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I will strongly object to the idea that she callously ignored anything,” Matthews said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bkrans\">Brian Krans\u003c/a> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aurora, who died in May following an asthma attack, is the latest of several children to die while their safety was being monitored and evaluated by the county’s embattled Department of Family and Children’s Services, which has faced intense scrutiny and state intervention due to the spate of deaths in recent years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Another child in the home was reportedly sexually assaulted while she was between ages 11 and 15 by Hanson’s brother, Jonathan Hanson, who was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault of a minor in court Tuesday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This little asthmatic girl and her brothers and sisters were living in a home filled with roaches, mold, animal feces and two parents who were not providing enough care or food for their children, along with a sexual predator,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said about Aurora and her siblings at a press conference held immediately after the court hearing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why is this happening when we have a system that is supposed to save children from abuse, from drugs and from neglect?” Rosen said. “Of course, this is a complex problem, but public servants are supposed to solve complex and difficult problems. These children’s deaths have been met with reports and remorse and promises of reforms. And yet, here we are again.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Why is this happening when we have a system that is supposed to save children from abuse, from drugs and from neglect?” Rosen said. “Of course, this is a complex problem, but public servants are supposed to solve complex and difficult problems. These children’s deaths have been met with reports and remorse and promises of reforms. And yet, here we are again.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Aurora’s death is “another urgent warning” about kids who are in danger in Santa Clara County, Rosen said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said his office is looking into a new blueprint in which the DA’s office and other county officials “play a more direct, tangible and collaborative role in these fraud, children and family matters” to better protect kids. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He said his office is looking into a new blueprint in which the DA’s office and other county officials “play a more direct, tangible and collaborative role in these fraud, children and family matters” to better protect kids. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This in general is a plan that creates a team of high-ranking specialists from different agencies who would jointly address the safety of our county’s most vulnerable, like Aurora,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare system has been under state oversight by the California Department of Social Services since 2023, following the overdose death of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro, who was living in a home with addicted parents, and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker at the hands of his uncle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare system has been under state oversight by the California Department of Social Services since 2023, following the overdose death of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro, who was living in a home with addicted parents, and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker at the hands of his uncle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state oversight might have wrapped up if not for the death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez this April. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs toddler, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">died in a hospital\u003c/a> after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by his relative’s son, after he was placed in that home by the county child welfare department despite several red flags and disqualifying factors, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">child endangerment conviction\u003c/a> on his relative’s record. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jaxon’s death prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing of several social workers\u003c/a>, further internal reviews and tightening of control in the department, pointed criticism from county supervisors and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">another round\u003c/a> of state review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jaxon’s death prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing of several social workers\u003c/a>, further internal reviews and tightening of control in the department, pointed criticism from county supervisors and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">another round\u003c/a> of state review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100598/santa-clara-county-placed-children-in-foster-care-without-safety-checks\">report from the state\u003c/a> last month, investigators with the California Department of Social Services found “significant systemic gaps in documentation and timeliness across required emergency placement procedures,” and that only 10% of emergency placements made by the county complied with state law. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100598/santa-clara-county-placed-children-in-foster-care-without-safety-checks\">report from the state\u003c/a> last month, investigators with the California Department of Social Services found “significant systemic gaps in documentation and timeliness across required emergency placement procedures,” and that only 10% of emergency placements made by the county complied with state law. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State officials also found roughly half the background checks to determine if foster parents were safe caretakers for children in need were conducted only after the children were placed in their care, and that social workers often didn’t include evidence of criminal records when reviewing potential foster parents and extended family members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>State officials also found roughly half the background checks to determine if foster parents were safe caretakers for children in need were conducted only after the children were placed in their care, and that social workers often didn’t include evidence of criminal records when reviewing potential foster parents and extended family members. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In Aurora’s case, police officers and detectives who searched the East San José home on Lancelot Lane in May said they “found every room was unkempt and in disarray, with a severe cockroach and insect infestation, a pungent acidic odor of urine and animal fecal matter, and visible mold throughout the residence,” a police investigative summary said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In Aurora’s case, police officers and detectives who searched the East San José home on Lancelot Lane in May said they “found every room was unkempt and in disarray, with a severe cockroach and insect infestation, a pungent acidic odor of urine and animal fecal matter, and visible mold throughout the residence,” a police investigative summary said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Police said there were 12 reports to the child welfare department dating back to 2022, “indicating that school personnel and medical providers had repeatedly expressed concerns involving unsanitary living conditions, inadequate supervision, irregular school attendance and inconsistent medical follow-up.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Police said there were 12 reports to the child welfare department dating back to 2022, “indicating that school personnel and medical providers had repeatedly expressed concerns involving unsanitary living conditions, inadequate supervision, irregular school attendance and inconsistent medical follow-up.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, DFCS records obtained from the county show that in at least four different instances since September 2023, social workers visiting the home and interviewing the parents and Aurora concluded that reports of neglect or abuse were unfounded or inconclusive, with several other similar determinations made regarding other children in the home since that time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, DFCS records obtained from the county show that in at least four different instances since September 2023, social workers visiting the home and interviewing the parents and Aurora concluded that reports of neglect or abuse were unfounded or inconclusive, with several other similar determinations made regarding other children in the home since that time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last month, the county’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, ruled Aurora’s death a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain due to severe asthma, and said in a statement that “medical neglect was determined to be a significant condition in her death.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last month, the county’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, ruled Aurora’s death a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain due to severe asthma, and said in a statement that “medical neglect was determined to be a significant condition in her death.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While prosecutors asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul to keep Randolph and Gabrielle Hanson in custody, Paul allowed them both to be released after court Tuesday, with criminal protective orders not to see their children, who were removed from their home after Aurora’s death, and requirements that they not supervise or care for any other children. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While prosecutors asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul to keep Randolph and Gabrielle Hanson in custody, Paul allowed them both to be released after court Tuesday, with criminal protective orders not to see their children, who were removed from their home after Aurora’s death, and requirements that they not supervise or care for any other children. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jonathan Hanson was kept in custody with no option for bail. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the court hearing, Gabrielle Hanson was seen crying and shaking her head as Deputy District Attorney Morgan Willis, in an argument to keep Hanson in custody, alleged that she showed “continual disregard” for Aurora. Willis said Hanson also “callously ignored” a plea from her stepdaughter who told Hanson that she was experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of Jonathan Hanson.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the court hearing, Gabrielle Hanson was seen crying and shaking her head as Deputy District Attorney Morgan Willis, in an argument to keep Hanson in custody, alleged that she showed “continual disregard” for Aurora. Willis said Hanson also “callously ignored” a plea from her stepdaughter who told Hanson that she was experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of Jonathan Hanson.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hanson’s attorney, Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, said prosecutors were “preying on emotion in a very serious and tragic case,” but that she should be released while the case moves forward. The pair are expected back in court on Nov. 20. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hanson’s attorney, Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, said prosecutors were “preying on emotion in a very serious and tragic case,” but that she should be released while the case moves forward. The pair are expected back in court on Nov. 20. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I will strongly object to the idea that she callously ignored anything,” Matthews said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bkrans\">Brian Krans\u003c/a> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Santa Clara County District Attorney is calling for a new approach to keeping kids safe.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In the wake of the tragic death of another child involved in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-clara-county\">Santa Clara County \u003c/a>child welfare system, two parents have been charged with criminal neglect, and the district attorney is proposing a new approach to keeping vulnerable kids safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gabrielle Hanson and Jacob Randolph, the mother and stepfather of 8-year-old Aurora Williams, were arraigned in a San José courtroom Tuesday afternoon on felony charges of child neglect that resulted in her death, along with several other child endangerment misdemeanor charges related to the well-being of six other children in their home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aurora, who died in May following an asthma attack, is the latest of several children to die while their safety was being monitored and evaluated by the county’s embattled Department of Family and Children’s Services, which has faced intense scrutiny and state intervention due to the spate of deaths in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another child in the home was reportedly sexually assaulted while she was between ages 11 and 15 by Hanson’s brother, Jonathan Hanson, who was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault of a minor in court Tuesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This little asthmatic girl and her brothers and sisters were living in a home filled with roaches, mold, animal feces and two parents who were not providing enough care or food for their children, along with a sexual predator,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said about Aurora and her siblings at a press conference held immediately after the court hearing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-4-KQED-2d748458-1536x1048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gabrielle Hanson wipes her eye as she talks with Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews at her arraignment at the Hall of Justice in San José on Oct. 13, 2026. Hanson has been criminally charged in the alleged neglect death of 8-year-old Aurora Williams. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Why is this happening when we have a system that is supposed to save children from abuse, from drugs and from neglect?” Rosen said. “Of course, this is a complex problem, but public servants are supposed to solve complex and difficult problems. These children’s deaths have been met with reports and remorse and promises of reforms. And yet, here we are again.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Aurora’s death is “another urgent warning” about kids who are in danger in Santa Clara County, Rosen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said his office is looking into a new blueprint in which the DA’s office and other county officials “play a more direct, tangible and collaborative role in these fraud, children and family matters” to better protect kids. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This in general is a plan that creates a team of high-ranking specialists from different agencies who would jointly address the safety of our county’s most vulnerable, like Aurora,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The county’s child welfare system has been under state oversight by the California Department of Social Services since 2023, following the overdose death of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro, who was living in a home with addicted parents, and the stabbing death of 6-year-old Jordan Walker at the hands of his uncle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state oversight might have wrapped up if not for the death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez this April. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaxon, a special needs toddler, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080197/south-bay-toddler-dies-in-foster-care-after-alleged-sexual-assault\">died in a hospital\u003c/a> after authorities said he was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by his relative’s son, after he was placed in that home by the county child welfare department despite several red flags and disqualifying factors, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080399/south-bay-toddler-placed-with-woman-convicted-of-child-endangerment-before-death\">child endangerment conviction\u003c/a> on his relative’s record. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaxon’s death prompted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089481/santa-clara-county-plans-to-fire-social-workers-after-foster-care-toddler-death\">firing of several social workers\u003c/a>, further internal reviews and tightening of control in the department, pointed criticism from county supervisors and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081114/state-oversight-expanded-for-child-welfare-agency-after-toddler-death\">another round\u003c/a> of state review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100598/santa-clara-county-placed-children-in-foster-care-without-safety-checks\">report from the state\u003c/a> last month, investigators with the California Department of Social Services found “significant systemic gaps in documentation and timeliness across required emergency placement procedures,” and that only 10% of emergency placements made by the county complied with state law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State officials also found roughly half the background checks to determine if foster parents were safe caretakers for children in need were conducted only after the children were placed in their care, and that social workers often didn’t include evidence of criminal records when reviewing potential foster parents and extended family members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In Aurora’s case, police officers and detectives who searched the East San José home on Lancelot Lane in May said they “found every room was unkempt and in disarray, with a severe cockroach and insect infestation, a pungent acidic odor of urine and animal fecal matter, and visible mold throughout the residence,” a police investigative summary said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Police said there were 12 reports to the child welfare department dating back to 2022, “indicating that school personnel and medical providers had repeatedly expressed concerns involving unsanitary living conditions, inadequate supervision, irregular school attendance and inconsistent medical follow-up.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1315\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/SJM-L-AURORA-1014-5-KQED-1019f793-1536x1010.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jacob Randolph, left, and Gabrielle Hanson, second from right, talk to their lawyers as they are arraigned at the Hall of Justice in San José on Oct. 13, 2026. They have been criminally charged in the alleged neglect death of 8-year-old Aurora Williams. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, DFCS records obtained from the county show that in at least four different instances since September 2023, social workers visiting the home and interviewing the parents and Aurora concluded that reports of neglect or abuse were unfounded or inconclusive, with several other similar determinations made regarding other children in the home since that time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, the county’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Michelle Jorden, ruled Aurora’s death a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain due to severe asthma, and said in a statement that “medical neglect was determined to be a significant condition in her death.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While prosecutors asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul to keep Randolph and Gabrielle Hanson in custody, Paul allowed them both to be released after court Tuesday, with criminal protective orders not to see their children, who were removed from their home after Aurora’s death, and requirements that they not supervise or care for any other children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jonathan Hanson was kept in custody with no option for bail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the court hearing, Gabrielle Hanson was seen crying and shaking her head as Deputy District Attorney Morgan Willis, in an argument to keep Hanson in custody, alleged that she showed “continual disregard” for Aurora. Willis said Hanson also “callously ignored” a plea from her stepdaughter who told Hanson that she was experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of Jonathan Hanson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hanson’s attorney, Chief Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, said prosecutors were “preying on emotion in a very serious and tragic case,” but that she should be released while the case moves forward. The pair are expected back in court on Nov. 20. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I will strongly object to the idea that she callously ignored anything,” Matthews said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED reporter \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bkrans\">Brian Krans\u003c/a> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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},
"soldout": {
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