Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao through her attorney on Friday said she was unaware of any investigation until the FBI searched her home.
The statement comes a day after federal agents searched the mayor's home, along with several properties owned by men linked to a recycling company that contracts with the city.
"Mayor Thao is ready, willing and able to cooperate fully with federal investigators. She has nothing to hide," said Tony Brass, a lawyer representing Thao. "It’s unfortunate that she has had to endure the bad optics of having this search warrant executed on her home. She would have cooperated with this investigation without the need for this search. She will continue to do the work Oakland expects from their mayor and provide the federal government with whatever information they are seeking. We have no information that she is or will be the target of this or any investigation."
Law enforcement sources told NBC Bay Area on Thursday there were four search warrant executions in Oakland as part of a larger operation.
The FBI confirmed Friday that no arrests were made.
Federal investigators were seen taking several boxes and bins out of Thao's house on Thursday. Brass said he didn't know what was inside those boxes.
"The target of the search warrant was the residence, not her," Brass said.
Agencies involved in the warrant operation included the FBI, IRS, and United States Postal Inspection Service, a source told NBC News.
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It is still not clear what the warrants are connected to or who is the target of the investigation.
The search comes at the same time Thao is ramping up to fight a recall, with some calling for the mayor to resign.
"The City of Oakland has a cloud hanging over it today. The world watched as Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s home was raided by the FBI," the Oakland NAACP said in a statement on Thursday. "While the public should refrain from a rush to judgment, the leadership of the NAACP and its members are calling on Mayor Sheng Thao to resign immediately and spare the city the cost of a recall. Oaklanders deserve a mayor who is not distracted, fully committed, and able to lead the city. Clearly, Mayor Thao cannot focus on the needs of the residents of Oakland while she addresses the major challenges posed by the FBI raid and investigation."
Thao has not been seen in public since the search of her home. NBC Bay Area went to her office on Friday to see if she had returned but found nothing. Brass said she is still in the Bay Area.
When asked when she would be back at work, Brass said, "It depends on how distracting the attention this generates for her opponents and things like that. She wants to get back to Oakland and get back to being a visible mayor."
As for the calls from recall leaders and other community groups for Thao to resign, Brass said she has no plans to do so.
"The mayor of Oakland has not been arrested," Brass said. "There's a search warrant that was executed on an address. What that was for and why that was done does not take away from her ability or her capacity to be the mayor of Oakland."
Federal agents search other homes in Oakland Hills
Two of the other homes searched by federal agents are in the Oakland Hills and appear to have links to two men with deep ties to both city politics and city business.
NBC Bay Area on Thursday spotted officials with the United States Postal Inspection Service going in and out of a home on Skyline Boulevard. The officials did provide comment and directed any questions to the FBI.
In a statement, the FBI on Thursday declined to comment on the nature of the activity, and said they can only confirm court authorized activity at the address.
Property records show the home belongs to David Duong, who is the CEO of California Waste Solutions, which is the city's contracted recycling company.
The Duong family has been tied to Thao before. Both are referenced in a 2020 city ethics complaint, which involves an investigation that is still open. The investigation centers around allegations of campaign donation violations.
About 2.5 miles from the Skyline Boulevard home, FBI agents were seen searching a house at Viewcrest Court and photographing a Mercedes in the driveway.
Property records show the home on Viewcrest Court is owned by Andy Duong, the son of David Duong.
The FBI has not told NBC Bay Area what if any connection there is between all the sites.
It is unclear if all the searches on Thursday are linked.
NBC Bay Area reached out to California Waste Solutions for comment, but did not hear back on Thursday.
