FBI raids home of embattled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Federal agents raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Thursday morning, according to the Department of Justice, witnesses and reports from local media. Thao is facing a recall vote amid a crime wave and municipal fiscal challenges.

FBI agents were heard “banging” on the mayor’s door around 6 a.m., neighbor Maribel Sainez told POLITICO, waking up the quiet street in Oakland’s Lincoln Highlands neighborhood.

Thao was escorted out of her home by agents, Sainez added.

Spokesperson Cameron Polan in the FBI’s San Francisco office confirmed the bureau is conducting “court-authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane,” but did not provide further details. As of 9:30 a.m, FBI agents were still on site at Thao’s Maiden Lane home. 

It’s not clear what prompted the raid. Thao and her staff did not immediately return requests for comment. The Department of Justice confirmed federal agents were at Thao’s home but declined to comment further.

The Oakland mayor has been under intense scrutiny in recent months for the city’s crime rates and the departure of the Oakland A’s baseball team. She will face a recall vote in November after her detractors collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.