FBI agents on Thursday conducted an early morning raid on the home of Democrat Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, possibly in relation to a corruption probe.
Agents with the Bureau were seen removing boxes from the mayor’s home around 10AM, however they did not immediately identify the cause of the raid.
BREAKING: The FBI has raided the home of Oakland Democrat Mayor Sheng Thao.
Story developing. pic.twitter.com/b4o2MV7Knt
— I Meme Therefore I Am
(@ImMeme0) June 20, 2024
“The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane. We are unable to provide additional information at this time,” the FBI said.
In a statement on X, ABC7 chief investigative reporter Dan Noyes claimed he’d received a tip from a law enforcement source the raid was in relation to a “public corruption investigation of Thao and her boyfriend.”
FBI NOW CLEAR FROM OAKLAND MAYOR SHENG THAO’S HOUSE. Good law-enforcement source tells me this is a public corruption investigation of Thao and her boyfriend. pic.twitter.com/LnQbrs3NPp
— Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) June 20, 2024
In a follow-up, Noyes added sources claim the raid also “involves the IRS and U.S. Postal Service.”
BREAKING: Sources tell ABC News that the FBI raid at home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao also involves the IRS and U.S. Postal Service. I just arrived at the scene. Spotted FBI Agent briefly on balcony. pic.twitter.com/KrUb0yL6uk
— Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) June 20, 2024
CBS News reports: “The FBI was also serving a warrant on at least one other property nearby, a home on Viewcrest Court in the city’s Ridgemont neighborhood.”
Reports state Thao was scheduled to appear at a San Francisco event on Thursday with other mayors, however she did not show up.
The raid comes as a recall petition earlier this week by the group OUST (Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao) received over 40,000 signatures, which puts Thao’s position up for a vote in upcoming elections.
OUST’s contentions with Thao include her efforts to defund police, the unjust termination of a police chief which made crime explode, and general incompetence making her unfit to lead the city.
“In just a year, Thao’s incompetence and dishonesty accelerated Oakland’s decline, causing longstanding businesses to close and generational families to leave,” the group’s website states, adding, “Lives lost and businesses failed, all due to Thao’s inability to fulfill her duties as Oakland’s mayor.”