"Gallegos is seemingly referenced in the FBI's case against former mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, and David and Andy Duong, who are all accused of conspiracy and bribery related to city contracts. According to the feds, a city employee matching Gallegos' job description was briefly promoted to a key role in the city's bureaucracy at Thao's direction to facilitate the awarding of a multi-million dollar homeless housing contract to a company run by the Duongs and Juarez."
"Juarez's 2021 grant applications - entirely separate from the allegations at the heart of the FBI's case - were ultimately unsuccessful. But they alarmed one Oakland staffer who expressed concern that the city risked being taken advantage of, according to public records. Other city staff didn't appear to share these worries. Neither Juarez nor Gallegos have been charged with any crimes or accused of violating city rules in relation to the FBI's corruption probe or the 2021 grant applications."
Mario Juarez tried in 2021 to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars from an Oakland city grant program meant to help struggling businesses. Larry Gallegos, then project manager for the Economic and Workforce Development Department, was in a position to approve the money. Federal prosecutors link a city employee matching Gallegos' job description to a brief promotion ordered by Mayor Sheng Thao to facilitate a multi-million dollar homeless housing contract to a company run by the Duongs and Juarez, allegedly after Thao received bribes. Juarez's 2021 applications were unsuccessful, alarmed one staffer, and neither Juarez nor Gallegos have been charged.
Read at The Oaklandside
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