FBI Informant in Oakland Mayor Bribery Trial Confronted With Bank Forgery Claims
Mario Juarez, star witness against ex-Oakland mayor Sheng Thao, faced accusations of doctoring bank statements on his fourth day of testimony.
Star witness admits fraud but denies forging bank documents in Oakland corruption case
Mario Juarez, an Oakland businessman and FBI informant, acknowledged on his fourth day of testimony that he "committed bribery" and defrauded numerous people during his time in Oakland politics and real estate — but pushed back on defense claims that he doctored bank statements to overcharge business partners, Courthouse News Service reports.
Juarez is the prosecution's central witness in a bribery and corruption case targeting former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her romantic partner Andre Jones, and waste management entrepreneurs David and Andy Duong. Prosecutors allege that Juarez, together with the Duongs, sought lucrative city contracts for their modular home company, Evolutionary Homes, and an extension for the Duongs' waste management firm, California Waste Solutions.
Juarez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in exchange for cooperation with the prosecution and a reduced sentence. The Duongs, Thao, and Jones have all pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy, bribery, fraud, and making false statements to a government official. Thao faces a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Defense targets informant's credibility
David Duong's attorney, Edward Swanson, presented the 16-person jury with bank statements subpoenaed directly from Chase Bank showing discrepancies between what Juarez reported on expense forms for flights between Oakland and San Diego — where the modular home construction operation connected to a facility in Mexico — and what the flights actually cost. Swanson contended that Juarez had added an extra $100 to each flight on his expense reports, with the Duongs reimbursing him accordingly.
"You forged these documents, didn't you?" Swanson asked.
"I don't recognize this document," Juarez replied, though he conceded he "can see the issue with the amounts" when shown the bank records obtained directly from the institution.
When Swanson pressed further — "Is it your testimony that someone else doctored your statements, your private bank statements?" — Juarez said no, offering nothing further on the alleged forgeries.
Chief U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers intervened repeatedly during the exchange, instructing Juarez to "just answer the question." The Barack Obama appointee added, "I don't want to be here until Christmas."
Text message: "I need to f the Duongs"*
Swanson also questioned Juarez's motives for becoming an informant, asking whether he had cooperated with federal prosecutors to retaliate against the Duongs after Evolutionary Homes collapsed and the alleged bribes to Thao and Jones failed to yield actual city contracts.
"You wanted to hurt them?" Swanson asked.
"Hurting CWS is not the purpose," Juarez replied, using the initials for California Waste Solutions.
Swanson then presented a text message Juarez had sent to Andreas Cluver, the vice president at the Port of Oakland, two days before Juarez met with prosecutors. The message read: "I need to fuck the Duongs." The remark drew audible reactions from the courtroom gallery. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine objected on hearsay grounds but was overruled by Judge Rogers.
Fraud admitted on multiple fronts
During cross-examination by Shawn Halbert, the attorney for Jones, Juarez was asked why, given his stated commitment to Evolutionary Homes, he had turned to bribing public officials to advance the business. Juarez had earlier described co-founding Evolutionary Homes with Andy Duong in 2022, calling the container home design concepts his "babies."
"Did you think you could sell your product without fraud?" Halbert asked.
"I failed my community and I failed myself," Juarez said. "It ended up with fraud."
Juarez also admitted to fraudulently filing an independent expenditure form with California's Fair Political Practices Commission for $110,000 worth of attack mailers targeting mayoral candidates during Thao's 2022 election campaign. He further acknowledged discussing prior testimony with other witnesses and reading newspaper accounts of trial proceedings — conduct that violates court rules.
At one point, Juarez told the jury broadly: "We were all involved in crimes," naming multiple members of the Duong family beyond just David and Andy, with whom he had a falling-out in 2024.
The trial and Juarez's cross-examination are set to continue Tuesday.
Source: Courthouse News Service