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Key testimony comes to light in the Shengtao corruption case. The witness alleged that Juarez demanded 300,000 yuan during the 2022 campaign and suspected that he had received the money in his partner’s name in exchange for city contracts and benefits.
Volun Former Mayor Sheng Thao FederalCorruption Significant progress was made on the 30th.san francisco The Chronicle reported that key prosecution witness and political broker Mario Juarez testified for the first time in the trial that day, alleging that Shengtao requested 300,000 yuan during the 2022 mayoral campaign and received payments in the name of his friend Andre Jones in exchange for helping companies obtain city government contracts after being elected.
According to reports from NBC Bay Area News, KTVU and the San Jose Messenger, Juarez has twice run for Oakland City Council and has been in contact with father-and-son David Duong and Andy Duong of California Waste Solutions (CWS), the city’s recycling contractor, for several years. He has admitted bribery conspiracy and agreed to testify for prosecutors.
Juarez said he and the Yang family chose to support Sheng Tao because they believed she would help promote their business interests if elected. Evolutionary Homes, a company they founded together, plans to convert shipping containers into homes and sell them to local governments to house the homeless. He said the original arrangement was for Shengtao to help her win the election in exchange for the city government buying the company’s housing, but Shengtao demanded an additional 300,000 yuan and nominated Jones’ name to receive payment.
According to Juárez’s testimony, he arranged for Jones to serve in a nominal capacity without actually working for him, thereby disguising the bribes as salaries. The terms of the exchange also included assisting CWS in extending a 10-year recycling contract, extending the land lease of the original Volun Army Base, and arranging for its preferred candidates to join the top levels of city government.
Juarez also admitted that she helped prepare campaign emails attacking Shengtao’s rival Lorraine Taylor. The relevant funds of 75,000 yuan were secretly provided by Yang Zizhong. An altered photo of Taylor was used in one of the promotional emails. He also admitted that the check he had written to the promotional producer had bounced and he knew that the money would not be encashed when the check was issued.
The prosecutor also showed the court text messages exchanged between Juarez and Yang Yingxiong after Sheng Tao won the election. Juarez indicated in the message that helping Sheng Tao get elected could lead to him being jailed, but if the subsequent transaction was successful, he would receive a profit of 100 million yuan; Yang Yingxiong replied that “money can buy everything.” Juarez testified that he was joking about his involvement in illegal election financing.
Sheng Tao, Jones and Yang’s father and son all pleaded not guilty. Juarez’s reliability is also a focus of the defense. Defense lawyers have accused him of distorting the facts since his initial statement and questioned him for lying to the prosecutor in order to get a lighter sentence. The bribery conspiracy charge to which Juarez pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The case is expected to resume hearing on November 5, and Juarez will continue to testify and then undergo cross-examination by the defense.
Summary FAQ
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They alleged that during his 2022 campaign for mayor of Wulun, Shengtao requested 300,000 yuan and designated the payment in his friend Jones’ name in exchange for helping future companies obtain city government contracts.
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Juarez said the relevant arrangement was for Jones to work in name but not actually work, and to disguise the bribes as salary payments to reduce outsiders’ suspicions about cash flows and to conceal the giving and receiving of bribes.
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The testimony noted that the transaction also included extending the CWS recycling contract, extending the land lease, and arranging for suitable candidates to join the top leadership of the city government; Shengtao, Jones and the Yang family all pleaded not guilty.
