For three weeks, prosecutors have called witnesses and presented evidence to argue their case that former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao conspired with powerful local business leaders to accept bribes and steer city contracts. And this week, the government had its key witness, an alleged co-conspirator, take the stand to describe the alleged scheme to the jury.
But today, one of the defense attorneys got his chance to put this witness under a microscope. For about six hours, Mario Juarez was subjected to a grueling and heated cross-examination.
Ed Swanson, representing David Duong, quizzed Juarez about ripping off small businesses, allegedly defrauding a church, and failing to pay back a real estate loan. Some of the incidents were not directly related to the bribery allegations that put Thao, Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong on trial, but the lawyer highlighted them to undermine Juarez’s honesty…