It is widely believed that Oakland businessman Mario Juarez was an informant on the case that led to the raid of Sheng Thao’s home. Some might assume that's why shots were fired at him at his Fruitvale home, and now charges have been filed in that case.
It would seem a pretty good run of luck for the last month or so for Mario Juarez, who is believed to be the unnamed “Co-Conspirator 1” from the Sheng Thao indictment that came down in January, and he may well have been an informant for the FBI’s case. At the end of February, the Chronicle reported that an Alameda County judge dismissed the $53,000 bounced-check felony case against Juarez, a case where the county’s former DA Pamela Price was accused of trying to shake Juarez down for a $25,000 campaign contribution in exchange for dropping the charges.
Then a week later, the Chronicle had the news that two arrests had been made over a June incident where suspects fired gunshots at Juarez’s Fruitvale home, just 11 days before the Sheng Thao raid. And now the Bay Area News Group reports that one of those men has been charged over the shooting.
Per the News Group, 25-year-old Hermelindo Olber Ramos Ramos has been charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and shooting at an unoccupied vehicle.
But despite the appearance of justice being served, Juarez was ominous in his remarks to the Chronicle after the arrests were reported in early March. “Why was I targeted? Because I know too much,” Juarez told the paper. “The people behind this attack — the ones who believe power makes them untouchable — are wrong. I will not stop. I will not be silenced. And the truth will come out.”
And there are some, well, unusual aspects to these arrests. When the Chron broke the news of the arrests in the first week of March, they noted that the arrests had actually happened in December — and both suspects were immediately released. The DA declined to file charges.
Now on the news of Ramos Ramos being charged, the Bay Area News Group notes the curious circumstances that no probable cause declaration was filed with his charges, his case records are sealed, and by the way it appears he is not in custody at Santa Rita Jail, which is where you’d typically be if facing such charges. Perhaps he made bail quickly, but still.
There is no evidence that the shooting towards Juarez’s home and vehicle were related to his involvement with the Sheng Thao case. But there is reason to believe that the shooting caused the FBI to execute the raids immediately, sooner than they would have otherwise. As the Chronicle notes in their reporting, “The FBI raided Thao’s home on June 20 — the same day local officials filed paperwork in court describing their investigation of the shooting.”
Image: Vietnamese American Business Association via Youtube
