San Leandro Councilmember Charged in Federal Corruption Probe

Federal prosecutors charged San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo with conspiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud and making false statements, alleging he accepted bribes and kickbacks to help an Oakland-based housing company obtain city contracts. The complaint says the scheme ran from mid-2023 through June 2024 and included a $2,000 cash payment handed to Azevedo at a November 2023 dinner, instructions to open an LLC and bank account in his wife's name to receive payments, and an agreement to take a percentage of unit sales. Prosecutors allege Azevedo lobbied San Leandro officials—advocating an emergency shelter ordinance, touring model modular homes made from shipping containers and pushing the council to purchase units—and took an all-expenses-paid 10-day delegation trip to Vietnam paid by a business association linked to the company's owners. Charging documents tie the matter to a broader federal probe that has ensnared former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and businessmen David and Andy Duong, who operate Evolutionary Homes, though the housing company itself is not named in Azevedo's complaint. FBI agents searched Azevedo's home in January and prosecutors allege he lied to investigators; he has not been arrested and has not publicly responded to requests for comment. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California and will proceed in federal court in Oakland; Azevedo faces up to 25 years in prison and fines up to $500,000 if convicted.