FBI Raids Oakland Homes of Duong Family and Mayor Sheng Thao Amid Campaign Contribution Laundering Allegations

Oakland, California United States of America
Andy Duong is under investigation for using intermediaries or straw donors instead of disclosing California Waste Solutions as the true source of campaign contributions
FBI raided Oakland homes of David Duong and his son Andy Duong in connection to a campaign contribution laundering scheme
Former Councilmember Abel Guillen received $4,200 allegedly laundered through 12 people
Former Councilmember Desley Brooks received $18,700 allegedly laundered through 24 people
Investigation implicates several city officials including Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
Mayor Thao received $9,900 allegedly laundered through 13 different people during her City Council campaign in 2018
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's chief of communications Francis Zamora resigned following the mayor's press conference regarding the FBI raid on her home
FBI Raids Oakland Homes of Duong Family and Mayor Sheng Thao Amid Campaign Contribution Laundering Allegations

In recent developments, two Oakland residents, David Duong and his son Andy Duong, have found themselves at the center of a political corruption investigation. The FBI raided their homes last week in connection to an alleged campaign contribution laundering scheme.

According to reports from various sources including KTVU and KRON4.com, Andy Duong is under investigation for falsely using the names of intermediaries or straw donors instead of disclosing California Waste Solutions (CWS) as the true source of campaign contributions. The investigation has implicated several city officials, including Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

KTVU reported that former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan stated that no one, including Mayor Thao, is entitled to a notice or courtesy before an FBI raid. He explained that agents are required to identify themselves and wear a badge during raids and present a search warrant with a judge's signature. However, they are not required to show the affidavit supporting the search warrant.

The Oaklandside reported that Andy Duong has been under investigation by state and city political regulators since 2019 for allegedly laundering political money. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and the Oakland Public Ethics Commission allege that during her City Council campaign in 2018, Mayor Thao received $9,900 allegedly laundered through 13 different people.

Former Councilmember Desley Brooks received $18,700 over two campaign cycles, allegedly laundered through 24 people. Former Councilmember Abel Guillen received $4,200 allegedly laundered through 12 people.

KRON4 reported that Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's chief of communications, Francis Zamora, resigned from his position on the day following the mayor's press conference regarding the FBI raid on her home. The circumstances surrounding Zamora's resignation are unclear.

The investigation is ongoing and more details are expected to be released as information becomes available.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if any charges have been filed against the individuals named in the article
  • The investigation is ongoing and more details may be released that could change the facts presented in this article

Sources

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Oakland’s Duong family has showered money on politicians for decades

OaklandSide Darwin BondGraham Tuesday, 25 June 2024 00:31
  • Unique Points
    • Andy Duong's Instagram account included photographs of him with dozens of political leaders, from Gov. Gavin Newsom to members of the Oakland City Council.
    • ,
  • Accuracy
    • Andy Duong has given over $2 million to federal political candidates.
    • In 2020, David Duong gave the Trump Victory political action committee over $250,000.
    • David Duong contributed $155,000 to a Republican PAC funding GOP candidates for the House of Representatives in 2019.
    • Andy Duong has contributed $30,000 to candidates for federal office since 2o12.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains several instances of Appeals to Authority fallacy. The author uses the fact that politicians have accepted money from the Duong family as evidence that there may be wrongdoing on their part. However, accepting campaign contributions is a legal and common practice in politics and does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing or ethical issues.
    • ]California Waste Solutions and the Duongs have also sponsored numerous events and held celebrations where they've feted powerful politicians. For example, the Vietnamese American Business Association, an organization run by the Duongs, held a gala celebration in Milpitas last year. A poster for the event advertised guests such as California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.[
    • The Duongs have also collected and posted numerous photographs of themselves with political leaders, from President Joseph Biden to members of the Oakland City Council.
  • Bias (90%)
    The author, Darwin BondGraham, provides detailed information about the Duong family's political donations to various candidates and parties over the years. While not explicitly stating a bias towards either party, the author does mention that the Duongs have given more to Democrats in California and Republicans at the federal level. This disproportionate number of quotations reflecting Democratic donations could be seen as implying a bias towards Democrats.
    • Combined, David and Andy Duong spent approximately $200,00 on state political campaigns.
      • The Duongs have given thousands to some of California’s top Democrats... Among them is Attorney General Rob Bonta, who received thousands from David and Andy Duong in 2021, but his campaign committee appears to have returned most of the money. However, last year, Bonta took $6,100 from Andy Duong and $18,200 from David Duong for his 2026 reelection campaign.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      98%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      Former FBI agent says Oakland mayor is not entitled to raid warning

      KTVU Fox2 & KICU Plus News Station James Torrez Tuesday, 25 June 2024 20:43
      • Unique Points
        • Former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan stated that no one, including Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, is entitled to a notice or courtesy before an FBI raid.
        • FBI agents are required to identify themselves and wear a badge during raids. They must also present a search warrant with a judge’s signature.
        • The FBI is not required to show the affidavit supporting the search warrant to the target of the investigation.
      • Accuracy
        • ,
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      77%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      Report alleges 'campaign contribution laundering scheme' involving Oakland mayor, city officials

      ABC7 News - San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday, 25 June 2024 06:04
      • Unique Points
        • Andy Duong is under investigation for a campaign contribution laundering scheme by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)
        • Duong falsely used the names of intermediaries or straw donors instead of disclosing California Waste Solutions (CWS) as the true source of campaign contributions
        • Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao received $9,900 allegedly laundered through 13 different people during her City Council campaign in 2018
        • Former Councilmember Desley Brooks received $18,700 over two campaign cycles, allegedly laundered through 24 people
        • Former Councilmember Abel Guillen received $4,200 allegedly laundered through 12 people
      • Accuracy
        No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (85%)
        The article contains several instances of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The author uses the statements of Shirley Gee, who is described as a community activist and not speaking on behalf of her organization, to make derogatory comments about the Duong family. This is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy as the author is using Gee's opinion as evidence without providing any factual basis for her claims. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory language such as 'shady,' 'unethical,' and 'bribery system' to describe the Duong family without providing any evidence to support these claims. This type of rhetoric is intended to elicit an emotional response from readers and can be misleading.
        • Shady, shady, unethical... they tend to operate in this bribery system,
      • Bias (5%)
        The article reports on an investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) into allegations of campaign contribution laundering involving Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and city officials. The FPPC report states that Andy Duong, a frequent poster with high-ranking political figures on Instagram, falsely used the names of intermediaries or straw donors to conceal contributions from his family-owned company, California Waste Solutions (CWS). The article also mentions that many of the targeted campaign committees were candidates running for city council during a time when campaign contributions from contractors providing services to the city were prohibited. However, the article also includes quotes and statements from Shirley Gee, an executive director of a community center, who describes Andy Duong as having stiffed her organization in the past. This statement is not directly related to the FPPC investigation and could be seen as an example of character assassination or defamation. Therefore, while there are indications of potential bias towards Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and city officials, the article also includes information that is not biased and could be considered relevant to the investigation.
        • ][Shirley Gee]'s describing the Duong's as 'shady, shady, unethical... they tend to operate in this bribery system."
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        98%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Oakland mayor’s chief of communications abruptly quits

        KRON News Bay Area Alex Baker Tuesday, 25 June 2024 17:14
        • Unique Points
          • Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's chief of communications, Francis Zamora, has resigned from his position.
          • Zamora had been in the job for about nine months.
          • His resignation comes one day after the mayor gave a press conference regarding an FBI raid on her home.
        • Accuracy
          • Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of communications, Francis Zamora, has resigned from his position.
          • The mayor suggested during the press conference that the raid was part of a coordinated effort involving ‘rightwing forces’, the media, and organizers of a recall effort against her.
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication