FBI agents conducted an early-morning raid on the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Thursday morning, removing several boxes of items.
Agents served warrants at Thao’s house on Maiden Lane in the city’s Lincoln Highlands neighborhood at around 5:30 a.m.
In an emailed statement to CBS News Bay Area, the FBI said, “The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane. We are unable to provide additional information at this time.”
Just after 10 a.m., several FBI agents emerged from the home carrying boxes as news crews staked out positions across the street. It was unclear what the agents were seeking or what was seized.
The FBI was also serving a warrant on at least one other property nearby, a home on Viewcrest Court in the city’s Ridgemont neighborhood. It was not immediately confirmed the raids were connected.
CBS News Bay Area reached out to Mayor Thao’s office for a response to the raids. Thao was a no-show Thursday morning at a scheduled press conference in San Francisco on affordable housing with the mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Berkeley.
The raids come two days after the Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced there were enough signatures on a petition to recall Thao from office to move the process forward.
Supporters of a recall blame the mayor for not doing enough to fight crime which has led many businesses to close down in the city. They also blame Thao for the city’s failure to apply for millions of dollars in state money to fight retail crime.
Thao was also criticized for firing former police chief LeRonne Armstrong and not hiring a replacement for more than a year.
This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.
