Former San Leandro councilmember pleads guilty in corruption case tied to Oakland

Bryan Azevedo resigned from his seat on the San Leandro Metropolis Council on Monday and on Wednesday he made a quick look in federal court docket, the place he pleaded responsible to taking bribes and mendacity about them to federal brokers.

In the course of the listening to, prosecutors indicated that Azevedo is cooperating with them of their ongoing investigation into allegations that two Oakland businessmen bribed East Bay officers, together with former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

District Court docket Decide Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers walked Azevedo by the implications of fixing his plea. For conspiracy to commit trustworthy providers fraud and mendacity to federal brokers, Azevedo faces a potential whole jail sentence of 25 years and a $500,000 high-quality. Azevedo mentioned little through the listening to apart from to acknowledge that he understood the choose’s feedback.

As a part of his plea deal, Azevedo admitted that he took steps to assist an unnamed housing company safe a contract with the town of San Leandro in trade for a $2,000 bribe and a share of future house gross sales. Azevedo admitted that he accepted the bribes by a restricted legal responsibility firm and a checking account he opened in his spouse’s title.

The housing firm is just not named within the lawsuits however seems to be Evolutionary Properties, a startup based by David and Andy Duong, the homeowners of California Waste Options. Fruitvale businessman Mario Juarez labored with the Duongs within the firm, which hoped to win hundreds of thousands in contracts to promote modular properties as homeless shelters.

Azevedo, whose house was raided by the FBI a 12 months in the past, initially pleaded not responsible at his arraignment in November. However throughout that listening to, prosecutors hinted {that a} plea deal was being made behind the scenes, noting in a submitting that the events had been “near reaching a decision” in his case and that it was unlikely that any extra severe hearings would happen till a potential change of plea or sentencing.

Azevedo introduced his resignation from the San Leandro Metropolis Council on Monday, telling workers he mentioned he desires to deal with his household and authorized points. press releases. He was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.

The feds are concentrating on larger fish in Oakland – and presumably past

Azevedo’s case seems to be associated to allegations that former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and her associate Andre Jones accepted bribes from David and Andy Duong in trade for renewing California Waste Options’ contract with Oakland and buying modular housing items from Evolutionary Properties. Thao, Jones and the Duongs had been all charged collectively final 12 months. All of them pleaded not responsible.

It’s unclear what Azevedo might need recognized that’s related to the Oakland case, however he had shut ties to a number of the key gamers.

In August 2023, Azevedo was a part of a commerce delegation that traveled to Vietnam. The Vietnamese American Enterprise Affiliation, which the Duongs management, sponsored the journey and paid for Azevedo’s journey. Thao additionally went on the journey. Federal prosecutors said that the household of a person recognized as Co-conspirator 1 managed this enterprise affiliation, indicating that that is possible one of many Duongs. Azevedo admitted that the enterprise affiliation paid for his complete journey, together with airplane tickets, lodge and meals for ten days.

Throughout a listening to final week, Thao’s lawyer, Jeffrey Tsai, informed the choose overseeing the Oakland case that he’s searching for data from prosecutors about an ex-Oakland metropolis councilman who allegedly engaged in illegal actions with an individual recognized within the lawsuits as Co-conspirator 1, in line with the East Bay Times. Based mostly on interviews and public data, co-conspirator 1 is Mario Juarez.

Tsai informed the choose that this exercise concerned unlawful contributions from straw donors to avoid marketing campaign finance guidelines, the East Bay Occasions reported. Tsai’s feedback echo references from prosecutors in earlier lawsuits about Andy Duong allegedly attempting to bribe different officers in Oakland and Alameda County.

It’s unclear which former council member Tsai was referring to.

In 2019, the Oakland Public Ethics Fee accused the Duongs of operating a widespread straw donor operation to funnel 1000’s of {dollars} to the campaigns of politicians to whom they had been legally barred from giving cash as metropolis contractors. Based on investigators, the Duongs used middlemen to make $51,000 in unlawful political contributions. A few of that cash went to Oakland council members together with Thao, who was representing District 4 on the time, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Rebecca Kaplan, Larry Reid and Dan Kalb. Kaplan and Kalb informed The Oaklandside on the time that they didn’t know the funds had been associated to a metropolis contractor and wouldn’t have accepted cash if that they had recognized.

Azevedo’s subsequent listening to is on December 3.