Jurors in the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and three co-defendants heard some evidence Wednesday that had not been made public previously.
A new figure has emerged in the trial of Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, and businessmen David and Andy Duong, in the form of a witness for the prosecution. Cecilia Mendez, a former employee of California Waste Solutions, was apparently making secret recordings of the goings-on at her workplace. And as NBC Bay Area reports, jurors heard about 40 minutes of audio that Mendez surreptitiously recorded of board meetings at California Waste Solutions in which the Duongs and Mario Juarez, the man they partnered with on an another business, Evolutionary Homes, seem to be discussing their bribery scheme involving Thao.
Thao had apparently made a promise to the Duongs to have the city of Oakland purchase some of their modular homes for the homeless — made out of shipping containers — in exchange for financial support for her mayoral campaign…