Federal judge signals limited path for Sheng Thao to attack FBI warrants in Oakland bribery case

Key ruling could narrow pretrial litigation ahead of a high-profile public corruption trial

A federal judge in Oakland indicated on March 5, 2026, that the court is unlikely to allow former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three co-defendants to mount a broad challenge to the validity of FBI search warrants executed during a series of raids in June 2024. The searches included a residence linked to Thao and locations tied to Oakland’s recycling contractor and associated business entities.

The defense request centers on whether they can pursue an evidentiary proceeding aimed at testing the factual basis presented to obtain the search warrants. Judges can permit such hearings in narrow circumstances, typically when defendants make a substantial preliminary showing that a warrant affidavit contained materially false statements or omitted key facts in a way that affected a finding of probable cause.

How the case reached this point

The warrant dispute is part of a larger criminal case that became public in January 2025, when an eight-count federal indictment was unsealed charging Thao, her longtime partner Andre Jones, and businessmen David Trung Duong and Andy Hung Duong. Prosecutors allege the defendants participated in a bribery scheme connected to official actions involving city business and appointments.

In the indictment, prosecutors describe an alleged exchange in which benefits were provided to Thao and Jones around the 2022 mayoral campaign and after Thao took office in January 2023. The alleged benefits include funding for a political mailer and payments tied to Jones that prosecutors characterize as a no-show job arrangement. Andy Duong is also charged with making false statements to federal agents.

What the June 2024 raids targeted

Federal agents executed court-authorized searches on June 20, 2024, at multiple Oakland locations. Those searches included a home on Maiden Lane associated with Thao, a home connected to Andy Duong, a residence connected to David Duong, and offices associated with California Waste Solutions and the Vietnamese American Business Association. Investigators publicly confirmed court-authorized law enforcement activity at the time but did not describe what was seized or the precise scope of the inquiry.

What happens next

If the court declines to allow a warrant-validity hearing, the defense may still litigate other pretrial issues, including suppression motions based on the existing record and challenges to evidence handling, relevance, or admissibility at trial.

The judge’s comments also signal that the court expects both sides to continue preparing for trial rather than waiting for extensive additional hearings on the raids.

• Defendants: Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, David Trung Duong, Andy Hung Duong.

• Core allegations: bribery-related offenses and associated fraud counts; false-statement charge against Andy Duong.

• Central procedural issue: whether defendants can challenge the warrants through a specialized evidentiary hearing.

The case remains at the pretrial stage; the indictment contains allegations that must still be proven in court.