Chief of staff for ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao testifies in corruption trial

The federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao and three other defendants heard from the first witness today, her former chief of staff. Our crime reporter Henry Lee was in the court today and joins us now live from our newsroom with the very latest and what we learned from this first witness. Henry? Well, Alex, the job of Tao's chief of staff was to help manage her day-to-day activities and to keep tabs on potentially risky behavior. And according to this former staffer, there was plenty of that. Highly anticipated testimony in the corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao began with the first witness, Lee Hanson, who was Tao's chief of staff when the mayor took office in 2023. Hanson told the jury Tao's romantic partner, Andre Jones, sat in on sensitive city meetings even though he had no official role in her administration. In one case, according to Hanson, Jones took part in a meeting with the city attorney over Tao's decision to put then-Oakland Police Chief LaRon Armstrong on administrative leave. Hansen said she believed the presence of non-city employees could jeopardize attorney-client privilege. Hansen said Jones told her, quote, we'll see which one of us is left at the end of the day, which she saw as a threat to her position. Hansen also testified she did not agree with Tao's decision to visit Vietnam in 2023 as part of a trade delegation funded with the help of defendant David Duong, who runs California Waste Solutions, the city's recycling contractor. Hansen said it was politically risky for a first-year mayor to be out of the country if there was an emergency in Oakland. Hansen also testified after Tao and Jones returned from Vietnam. A journalist reached out, asking about allegations that some in the delegation had been stopped by customs for carrying drug paraphernalia and possibly being involved with sex trafficking of minors. Hansen testified Tao became upset at David Duong's son, Andy Duong, saying, quote, I hate that effing playboy. He has always been trouble. Now, Tao and the three other defendants have all pleaded not guilty. Testimony resumes on Monday. Live at the newsroom, Henry Lee, KTVU, Fox 2 News. All right, we look forward to more testimony coming up next week. Henry, thank you.