Jurors hear secret recordings in Sheng Thao corruption trial

Jurors heard secret recordings Wednesday in the corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. Prosecutors believe the recordings help prove that David and Andy Duong, the father-and-son co-defendants, were part of a bribery and corruption scheme involving Thao and her longtime boyfriend Andre Jones, who is also a co-defendant. Jurors heard about 40 minutes of audio from board meetings at California Waste Solutions, the company owned by the Duongs. The recordings were secretly made by Cecilia Mendez, a former employee of the company. In the recordings, businessman Mario Juarez can be heard complaining to David and Andy Duong about the mayor not keeping up her end of the bargain to buy modular housing units from Evolutionary Homes, a company Juarez helped start with the Duongs. I think it s disappointing she s not keeping promises, Juarez said. Will be problem for her re-election. I have long memory and I m pretty vengeful, Juarez said. There s consequences f