A federal judge has cleared the way for jurors to hear allegations that former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and two business executives tried to bury a news story about a city official’s alleged misconduct.
The ruling comes weeks before Thao is set to stand trial on bribery and fraud charges tied to a city recycling contract and a homelessness housing program.
The Charges
In January 2025, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of California indicted Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and California Waste Solutions executives David Duong and Andy Duong on eight counts. The charges include conspiracy, bribery, and honest-services mail and wire fraud, according to KQED’s coverage of the case.
California Waste Solutions holds Oakland’s curbside recycling contract. Prosecutors say the Duongs used that relationship to buy influence over Thao’s office.
According to the indictment, the Duongs funneled money to Andre Jones through a no-show job. They also allegedly paid for political mailers in 2022 that attacked Thao’s opponents during her mayoral race, per ABC7’s reporting.
In exchange, prosecutors allege, Thao promised to extend California Waste Solutions’ recycling contract and steer a city purchase of converted shipping-container homeless housing toward a company linked to the Duongs.
The Evidence Fights
The defense has tried twice to keep key evidence away from the jury. Both times, they lost.
On April 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied motions to suppress evidence gathered during raids on Thao’s home. The defense argued investigators acted with reckless disregard or intent to deceive the court when securing search warrants. The judge found no credible sign of that, according to KQED’s reporting on the ruling. The evidence stays in the case.
Then, in a ruling reported September 26, 2026, Judge Gonzalez Rogers decided prosecutors can present evidence that Thao and the Duongs tried to kill a 2023 news story. The story, by East Bay journalist Steve Tavares, examined San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo’s conduct during a Vietnam trade mission sponsored by David Duong, according to ABC7’s report.
The defense argued this material was prejudicial and had nothing to do with the bribery counts. The judge disagreed. Jurors will hear it.
What This Means
This is our read, not a court finding: allowing the “kill the story” evidence lets prosecutors argue the alleged scheme wasn’t just about money. It was about controlling what the public learned, and when. That’s a bigger claim than bribery alone.
Andy Duong faces an additional count beyond the shared conspiracy, bribery, and fraud charges. He is accused of making false statements, per KQED’s report on the trial schedule.
Where the Case Stands
As of today, September 26, 2026, this is an indictment. Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, David Duong, and Andy Duong have not been convicted of anything. They are presumed innocent unless a jury says otherwise.
Jury selection is set ahead of an October 19, 2026 trial date in federal court in Oakland, according to KQED.
What’s already decided: the evidence from the home raids stays in. The story about Azevedo, and the alleged effort to bury it, stays in too. The jury will hear both when the trial opens.
Read the sourcing yourself at themoraldecayindex.com. Then tell us — what’s your verdict?