Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao trial: Judge admonishes government’s star witness amid heated cross-examination

OAKLAND, Calif. — A judge’s strongly worded admonition highlighted another full day of combative cross-examination involving the government’s star witness in the federal corruption trial of ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. Chief District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ delivered a self-described “severe” and “harsh” directive to the witness, Mario Juarez, to avoid certain comments while on the stand. Her words on Tuesday punctuated the third full day of Juarez’s cross-examination in the case against Thao, her romantic partner Andre Jones and the father-son business duo of David and Andy Duong. kAm%96 BF2CE6E 2C6 244FD65 @7 A2CE?6C:?8 H:E9 yF2C6K @? 2? :==:4:E 82>3:E E@ =:7E %92@ :?E@ E96 >2J@C’D @77:46 :? a_aa 2?5 7F??6= E9@FD2?5D :? 3C:36D E@ y@?6D :? 6I492?86 7@C 3C@25 :?7=F6?46 H:E9:? r:EJ w2== 7@C E96 sF@?8D] %92E 2==6865 2446DD :?4=F565 92?5A:4<65 2AA@:?E>6?ED 2?5 DE277 9:C6D 5:C64E65 3J E96 72>:=J[ 2=@?8 H:E9 >:==:@?D @7 5@==2CD :? ?6H 2?5 C6?6H65 4:EJ 4@?EC24ED 7@C E96:C 4@>A2?:6D] p== 7@FC 4@\5676?52?ED 92G6 A=62565 ?@E 8F:=EJ]k^Am kAmw6C6’D E96 =2E6DE 56G6=@A>6?ED @? E96 42D6ik^Am k9bm(9@ E6DE:7:65 %F6D52Jnk^9bm kAmyF2C6K E@@< E96 DE2?5 7@C 9:D 7:7E9 7F== 52J @7 BF6DE:@?:?8[ E9C66 @7 E9@D6 36:?8 @? 4C@DD 6I2>:?2E:@?] p =@?8E:>6 t2DE q2J A@=:E:42= @A6C2E@C[ yF2C6K 6?E6C65 :?E@ 2 562= H:E9 7656C2= AC@D64FE@CD E92E D2H 9:> A=625 8F:=EJ E@ 2 4@?DA:C24J 492C86 2?5 28C66 E@ E6DE:7J @? 3692=7 @7 E96 8@G6C?>6?E]k^Am k9bmp DE6C? 25>@?:E:@?k^9bm kAmp 32C365 C6>2C< 3J yF2C6K 5FC:?8 E6DE:>@?J %F6D52J >@C?:?8 AC@>AE65 @FEC286 7C@> %92@’D 2EE@C?6J 2?5 2 DEC@?8=J H@C565 C63F<6 7C@> v@?K2=6K #@86CD]k^Am kAm&?56C 4C@DD\6I2>:?2E:@?[ yF2C6K >@E:@?65 E@ E96 5676?D6 E23=6 2?5 DF886DE65 E96 5676?52?ED 2?DH6C @?6 @7 E96 BF6DE:@?D A@D65 E@ 9:>] %96 6I492?86 AC@>AE65 yF586 v@?K2=6K #@86CD E@ :>>65:2E6=J 4FE @77 yF2C6K[ 367@C6 C6>:?5:?8 E96 ;FCJ E92E 5676?52?ED 925 2 C:89E E@ C6>2:? D:=6?E 2?5 E@ ?@E E@ E6DE:7J @? E96:C @H? 3692=7]k^Am kAm{2E6C[ @FED:56 E96 AC6D6?46 @7 E96 ;FCJ[ %92@’D 2EE@C?6J E@=5 v@?K2=6K #@86CD E92E 96 C6D6CG65 E96 C:89E E@ 7:=6 2 >@E:@? 7@C >:DEC:2= 2D 2 C6DF=E @7 yF2C6K’D DE2E6>6?E] %96 ;F586 C6A=:65 E92E[ “*@F 92G6 >256 J@FC C64@C5[ 2?5 x 2> >2<:?8 >J C64@C5[ E92E x 36=:6G6 E96C6 :D 23D@=FE6=J ?@ H2J E96 ;FCJ H:== ?@E 7@==@H >J :?DECF4E:@?]”k^Am kAmq67@C6 E96 ;FCJ C6EFC?65[ E96 ;F586 5:C64E=J 255C6DD65 yF2C6K]k^Am kAm“xE :D AC@3=6>2E:4 7@C J@F E@ :? 2?J H2J[ D92A6 @C 7@C> DF886DE E92E 2?J @7 E96 5676?52?ED ?665 E@ E6DE:7J[” v@?K2=6K #@86CD D2:5] “}@H x’G6 8@E E@ 4=62? FA E92E >6DD] q642FD6 J@F D@>69@H DF886DE65 :>A=:4:E=J 7@C =2HJ6CD E@ 2D< E96 5676?52?ED E96 2?DH6C E@ E96 BF6DE:@?D :? 7C@?E @7 E96 ;FCJ]”k^Am kAm“}@E 2AAC@AC:2E6[ 5@ J@F F?56CDE2?5 >6n” E96 ;F586 25565] “%96 8@G6C?>6?E 362CD E96 3FC56?] %96 4@>A=6E6 3FC56?] }@ @?6 6=D6]”k^Am kAm%96 6I492?86 42>6 2>:5 9@FCD @7 4C@DD\6I2>:?2E:@? %F6D52J — >@DE=J 3J y@?6D’ 2EE@C?6J — E92E C6A62E65=J EFC?65 4@?E6?E:@FD]k^Am kAmyF2C6K[ 2D 92D 366? 9:D 923:E E9C@F89@FE 9:D `b 9@FCD @7 4C@DD\6I2>:?2E:@?[ C6A62E65=J 82G6 ?@?\D6BF:EFC @C CF?\@? 2?DH6CD[ 5C2H:?8 E96 :C6 @7 3@E9 5676?D6 2EE@C?6JD 2?5 E96 ;F586]k^Am kAm%96 :DDF6 92D 364@>6 D@ AC@?@F?465 :? C646?E 52JD E92E v@?K2=6K #@86CD 3682? %F6D52J’D E6DE:>@?J 3J :?DECF4E:?8 yF2C6K E92E J6D\@C\?@ BF6DE:@?D @?=J C6BF:C65 2 @?6\H@C5 C6DA@?D6] $96 2=D@ H2C?65 yF2C6K E92E D96’5 4FE 9:> @77 :7 96 DE2CE65 E@ C2>3=6 @? — 2 G@H E92E E@@< >6C6 >:?FE6D 7@C E96 ;F586 E@ 7F=7:==]k^Am kAmyF2C6K 2=D@ DA6?E >F49 @7 E96 52J DA2CC:?8 H:E9 y@?6D’ 2EE@C?6J] pE @?6 >@>6?E[ w2=36CE 96=5 FA 96C 92?5 E@ yF2C6K[ FC8:?8 9:> E@ DE@A 2 CF?\@? C6A=J]k^Am kAm$64@?5D =2E6C[ yF2C6K 4@F=5 36 D66? 9@=5:?8 FA 9:D 92?5 6I2886C2E:?8=J >:>:4<:?8 96C[ 367@C6 D>:C<:?8 2?5 =@@<:?8 @G6C 2E E96 ;FCJ]k^Am k9bm%6IE 5C2HD D4CFE:?Jk^9bm kAmw2=36CE’D 2EE@C?6J DA6?E 2 A@CE:@? @7 96C 9@FCD=@?8 4C@DD\6I2>:?2E:@? %F6D52J @? C62>D @7 E6IED @3E2:?65 3J 7656C2= :?G6DE:82E@CD[ :?4=F5:?8 2 A2CE:4F=2C |2C49 a_ab E6IE D6?E 3J yF2C6K E@ p?5J sF@?8]k^Am kAmx? E96 6I492?86[ yF2C6K 6IAC6DD65 9:D 7CFDEC2E:@? E92E y@?6D[ H9@ :D q=24<[ 925 5:C64E=J 2AAC@24965 s2G:5 sF@?8 2D<:?8 7@C >@C6 >@?6J — 2 >@G6 E92E 3C@<6 4@>>F?:42E:@?D 8F:56=:?6D 6DE23=:D965 3J E96 8C@FA E@ =:>:E E96:C =:23:=:EJ] yF2C6K AF?4EF2E65 9:D 5:DA=62DFC6 H:E9 E96 D:EF2E:@? 3J D6?5:?8 2 E6IE C625:?8 “DEFA:5 3=24< D—“]k^Am kAmy@?6D’D 2EE@C?6J 4@?7C@?E65 yF2C6K 23@FE E96 >6DD286 %F6D52J[ 2D<:?8 H9@ 96 H2D C676C6?4:?8 :? E96 >6DD286]k^Am kAm“*@F’C6 E2=<:?8 23@FE p?5C6 y@?6Dn” w2=36CE 2D<65]k^Am kAm“~? E9:D @?6[ x 2>[” yF2C6K D2:5]k^Am kAm“p?5 H96? J@F’C6 2?8CJ[ J@F E9:?< :E’D 2AAC@AC:2E6 E@ >6?E:@? 9:D C246n” w2=36CE =2E6C 2D<65]k^Am kAm“x? E9:D :?DE2?46[ x >256 E92E 4@>>6?E[” yF2C6K D2:5]k^Am k9bm(92E’D ?6IEk^9bm kAmyF2C6K :D 6IA64E65 E@ C6DF>6 36:?8 4C@DD\6I2>:?65 %9FCD52J[ 27E6C 2 @?6\52J 3C62< :? AC@4665:?8D 7@C E96 7656C2= '6E6C2?D s2J 9@=:52J]k^Am kAm00000k^Am