Not sure what's going on here, but hours after a shooting at Lake Merritt, and less than a day after signatures were verified in a recall campaign against her, the FBI raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

The raid happened at 5:30 am Thursday on the the 100 block of Maiden Lane in Oakland, as KRON4 reports, and the FBI remained on the scene two hours later. Federal agents would not discuss what the raid was about.

FBI spokesperson Cameron Polan put out a statement simply saying, "The FBI is conducting court authorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane."

As the Chronicle reports, at around 10 am Thursday, "more than a dozen agents exited the home carrying paper boxes, clipboards and large black plastic tubs."

The mayor's office has reportedly referred all questions to the FBI.

According the Chronicle, federal agents were simultaneously conducting a raid at 4320 View Crest Court in the Oakland hills Thursday morning, and were seen looking through luggage in a garage, and searching parked vehicles outside the home.

Herein may lie a clue about what the raid is about: The View Crest home belongs to Andy Duong, whose family owns recycling company Cal Waste Solutions. As Oaklandside reported in 2020, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission has been investigating potentially illegal campaign contributions and money laundering, with donations allegedly made to Oakland city councilmembers through "straw donors."

Thao was one of five city councilmembers who were said at the time to have received these donations.

Meanwhile, Cal Waste Solutions was facing a lawsuit from the city pertaining to the over-charging of customers, and they were involved in a land-use deal that was under consideration by the Oakland City Council.

This is a developing story.

Previously: Effort To Recall Mayor Sheng Thao Qualifies for the November Oakland Ballot

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