#2,380 - Investigators say Oakland businessman laundered political donations to now-mayor through karaoke bar

2024-07-09

Federal investigators say a California business owner used a karaoke-bar-turned-brothel to funnel campaign donations to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and other members of the city’s political class. Andy Duong, whose family works as Oakland’s curbside recycling contractor, is accused of having surrogates hand out $18,000 to various political candidates from 2016 to 2018, according to court documents obtained by Bay Area news outlets. An undercover sting at the brothel in 2018 led to thr...

Federal investigators say a California business owner used a karaoke-bar-turned-brothel to funnel campaign donations to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and other members of the city’s political class.

Andy Duong, whose family works as Oakland’s curbside recycling contractor, is accused of having surrogates hand out $18,000 to various political candidates from 2016 to 2018, according to court documents obtained by Bay Area news outlets.

An undercover sting at the brothel in 2018 led to three arrests over accusations of drug and human trafficking. A former manager arrested at the front business is one of the suspected “straw donors” in Mr. Duong’s alleged fundraising scheme.

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