The longtime county assessor in Contra Costa County, who just days earlier had symbolically passed the torch to his right-hand man after decades of being reelected himself, saw his home and office raided by the feds on Tuesday morning, and so did his successor.
Gus Kramer, who has served as assessor for 32 years in Contra Costa County, and Assistant County Assessor Vince Robb, both had their homes raided by the FBI Tuesday morning, as Bay Area News Group reports, and the County Assessor's Office on Arnold Drive was raided as well.
The feds have not commented on the raids, but Bay Area News Group obtained a copy of the warrant associated with them, which was signed June 4 by US Magistrate Judge Robert Illman. The warrant authorizes the search of the office and the two men's homes, as well as Robb and Kramer’s cars, to look for evidence of wire fraud and "other offenses."
It remains unclear what prompted the raids, but the timing is curious. Last Tuesday, one day before the warrant was signed, Robb was elected to succeed Kramer beginning in January 2027, following Kramer's announcement that he was retiring.
Per KTVU, Kramer spoke to the media outside his office Tuesday and said, "Apparently, low people in high places are attempting to weaponize the FBI to intimidate the assessment's office regarding some properties’ values, on some very large properties. It’s really too bad."
As Bay Area News Group notes, Kramer, who has served as assessor since 1994, has been dogged by various accusations of wrongdoing over the decades, including an allegedly forged deed from 2003 that gifted half a property to Kramer that he subequently purchased, saving him $21,000 in property taxes.
Other accusations have suggested the use of his office to exact personal revenge, including the alleged overvaluing of some vacant properties in 2009 that belonged to a developer with whom Kramer was said to be feuding, costing the developer a reported $200,000 in extra taxes. Kramer's daughter-in-law also reportedly accused him of improperly raising her property tax assessment as retaliation for not being allowed to see his grandchildren.
As Bay Area News Group reported at the time, Kramer blamed his inexperienced and overworked staff for he clerical error.
More recently, in January, the county was forced to settle a lawsuit brought by a former appraiser who worked in Kramer's office, who claimed she was retaliated against for arguing for a higher appraised value for a senior-housing complex. That appraiser, Andrea Albrecht, claimed that Kramer had sought to deliberately undervalue the property by at least $3 million, contradicting her appraisal, and implying this may have been a favor to the property owner who was seeking a lower appraisal.
For decades, Kramer has cast himself as the county's "Bad Boy Assessor," and he's been repeatedly reelected on his reputation for advocating for the "little guy" homeowner.
These latest FBI raids come after two years that brought a federal corruption case, which is still ongoing, to the doorstep of Oakland City Hall, leading to the 2024 recall of Mayor Sheng Thao.
As Bay Area News Group reports, the federal probe in Contra Costa County may have begun last year with a raid at the home of Contra Costa political consultant Mary Jo Rossi, which has not resulted in any charges being filed. Rossi is reportedly linked to Concord homebuilding company DeNova Homes, whose executives have been charged by the feds with attempting to bribe an Antioch councilman.
It's inclear if that case has any ties to the raids on Kramer and Robb.
A candidate who was running against Robb, Nick Spinner, gave a comment to the news group about the raids saying, "I ran on restoring public trust in the Assessor’s Office through transparency and accountability, and I hope the public gets clear answers through the proper process." Spinner added, "I’ve always had a respectful working relationship with Vince."
Related: Federal Judge Rejects Motion By Sheng Thao and Co-Defendants to Toss Evidence In Corruption Case
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