The FBI on Thursday raided multiple properties, including a home connected to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, just a day after a recall campaign to oust her from office received enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
“The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane,” a bureau spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We are unable to provide additional information.”
Property records indicate Thao is associated with the address 80 Maiden Lane in Oakland, California, though it does not appear she owns the property.
A November 2022 article by The Guardian stated Thao was the “first renter” to hold the position of Oakland mayor.
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Mayor Sheng Thao reacts while delivering her first State of the City address at City Hall in Oakland on Oct. 17, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
The embattled mayor will face a recall on November’s ballot after community organizers garnered nearly twice the required number of signatures needed to qualify.
An FBI agent at a home connected to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. (KTVU)
Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) submitted its petition two weeks ago, and on Wednesday, officials in Alameda County confirmed they had met the threshold of 25,000 voter signatures.
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“This is a national embarrassment,” said Seneca Scott, one of the lead organizers who pushed for the recall. “I think that she’s going to have to resign and then [there will be] an interim replacement. We may have four mayors in the span of six months.”
Some Oakland residents have held a rally to communicate their anger and fear over rising crime rates in the California city. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
Oakland’s City Council will vote next month on when to place the recall on the ballot. Scott told Fox News Digital that OUST will still have to campaign if Thao does not resign.
An FBI agent at a home on Maiden Lane in Oakland, California. (KTVU )
“However, with the news today that the FBI raided her home, I think it’s going to be an easy campaign,” Scott said. “This is going to go very, very deep. I think we’re going to see a lot of things exposed in the City of Oakland.”
FBI agents also raided 4320 View Crest Court, a property connected to Andy Duong, who is part owner of California Waste Solutions, FOX 40 reported.
The recycling company was previously investigated over campaign contributions to Thao, per reporting from The Oaklandside.
The FBI also reportedly carried out a raid at 1211 Embarcadero Way in Oakland, which is home to California Waste Solutions and the headquarters of the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA). The organization is run by the Duong family and led a U.S. business delegation to Vietnam last year, that included the mayor.
Fox News Digital has reached out to California Waste Solutions, the VABA and Duong for comment.
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When reached by Fox News Digital, Thao’s office referred all questions to the FBI.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
