OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The federal indictment against recalled Mayor Sheng Thao and three others detailed alleged bribes spent on a negative mailer that helped Thao just before the Oakland mayor's election. And that raises an intriguing question - could we have had a different mayor had that money not exchanged hands?
Thao's opponent in the race, Loren Taylor, told ABC7 News Friday there's no question he would have won. He was leading in the polls, and after that mailer, wound up losing by just 677 votes.
Outside Oakland federal court, the I-Team's Dan Noyes questioned defendant Andy Duong, "Andy, any comment about what's happening?"
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In his white suit and white tennis shoes, Duong would not answer questions as he entered federal court to face bribery, conspiracy, mail and wire fraud charges in connection with former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.
But the indictment says, in exchange for future favors, contracts and political appointments, Duong and his father, David Duong, who own California Waste Solutions, funded "a negative mailer campaign costing approximately $75,000 in support of Thao's mayoral campaign."
Former council member and mayoral candidate Loren Taylor was the target of that mailer. He told the I-Team, "Look, I am angry. This is ridiculous that democracy has been trampled on here in Oakland."
Taylor was ahead at one point during the ranked-choice voting tally by 3,587 votes but wound up losing the mayor's race by just 677 out of about 125,000 votes cast.
The difference according to Taylor and his chief of staff? This mailer slamming Taylor was sent just days before the election.
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They obviously had darkened his face and darkened his skin," Pamela Ferran, Taylor's chief of staff said. "He had outrageous allegations. It just seemed incredibly unfair and disappointing," said Pamela Ferran, Taylor's Chief of Staff.
In public, real estate agent and political activist Mario Juarez always said that he paid for the fliers and an anti-Loren Taylor website. But last summer, Mayor Thao's former chief of staff told me, she watched Juarez approach Thao and Andy Duong at this campaign event in October 2022, asking for more money for the fliers.
"And that was the first time I ever saw Mario," Renia Webb said. "And I was like, what is he doing here? And he straight up said he needed $25,000 to finish that mail piece and I walked away... because I knew that they shouldn't even be dealing with that or talking about that type of stuff."
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Webb said Andy Duong indicated he would take care of it, and that he had already paid $50,000 for the project.
Juarez is not charged or even named in the indictment released Friday. He could be listed as "co-conspirator 1." We asked his lawyer, Ernie Castillo, if Juarez is a cooperating witness. He texted, "I can't discuss the situation at all at the moment."
For the upcoming mayor's race, Loren Taylor has filed to be on the ballot once again, hoping for a more level playing field this time. "I think it says to all of us, we absolutely have to stay vigilant. We have to make sure that we have the right leaders in place who are going to make the right decisions, who have the right judgment, and are not simply going to continue, you know, business as usual."
Loren Taylor is a leading candidate for Oakland mayor in the upcoming special election, along with former member of Congress Barbara Lee and more than a dozen others. They include Thao's former chief of staff, Renia Webb, also running for mayor.
Take a look at more stories and videos by the ABC7 News I-Team.