Sheng Thao, the troubled mayor of Oakland, made her first public remarks on Monday following a raid on her residence by federal officials.
 Speaking from the podium, Thao stated that, “I want to be crystal clear. I have done nothing wrong. I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. I have not been charged with a crime, and I am confident I will not be charged with a crime because I am innocent.”
Her comments came four days after FBI officials, as part of an inquiry that also involved searches of two other homes belonging to a different family, removed boxes from the house she shares with her son and partner.
The timing of the highly publicized raid, according to Thao, was “troubling” because it occurred just a few days after supporters of a mayoral recall were notified by the city clerk that they had gathered enough signatures to be eligible for the ballot, almost certainly in November.
The recall effort was criticized by Thao as a time and money wastage. She implied that a small group of billionaires from Piedmont and San Francisco was “hellbent” on removing her from government.
“I want to know why the day following the qualification of a recall election, funded by some of the richest people in the Bay Area, seemed like the right day to execute a warrant,” Thao stated.Â
Proponents of the recall argue that the politically progressive mayor is to blame for the decline in economic and public safety, and that she was wrong to remove Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
Thao and her son were reportedly at home on Thursday morning when the raid occurred. Making sure they were safe was her top priority, she said.
Agents also investigated two residences owned by the powerful Duong family, who own Cal Waste Solutions, a recycling company, in politics. According to a 2020 story by the local news source Oaklandside, the firm is under investigation for giving political contributions to Thao and other elected city officials.
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Tony Brass, Thao’s lawyer, stated that the Oakland Mayor was not the focus of the most recent probe prior to his resignation on Monday.
“Mayor Thao is ready, willing and able to cooperate fully with federal investigators. She has nothing to hide,” Brass stated.Â
38-year-old Thao began serving in 2023. Her family was poor, and she claims to be of Hmong origin.
“And when my parents came to this country fleeing genocide, they never could have imagined that their daughter would one day be mayor of Oakland. I am my ancestors’ wildest dream,” she stated. “And I am your mayor: Mayor Sheng Thao.”
