The FBI executed three federal search warrants Tuesday morning at the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office and the homes of longtime Assessor Gus Kramer and his right-hand man, Assistant Assessor Vince Robb.
The FBI executed three federal search warrants on Tuesday, targeting the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office and the homes of two top county tax officials in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest public corruption investigations to hit California’s East Bay in years.
Federal agents descended on the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office in Martinez, along with residences connected to longtime County Assessor Gus Kramer and Assistant Assessor Vince Robb, who was recently elected to replace Kramer.
Investigators have reportedly been seeking evidence related to wire fraud and other potential offenses. No criminal charges have been announced yet.
The Assessor’s Office is responsible for property valuations across approximately 380,000 parcels of land, a massive operation that directly determines tax bills for hundreds of thousands of homeowners, businesses, and property owners across the county.
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Kramer told CBS News Bay Area the investigation had to do with the assessed value of properties in the county.
“Apparently, low people in high places are attempting to weaponize the FBI to intimidate the Assessor’s Office regarding some values on some very large properties, it’s really too bad,” said Kramer.
Kramer spoke as he and other county workers waited in the lobby of the Assessor’s Office while FBI agents executed the search warrant. He also confirmed his home was raided before agents arrived at his office.
“I used to work for the Sheriff’s Office. I understand what [the FBI agents] are doing, but all they had to do was come in the office and ask for it politely, and we would’ve given them everything they wanted,” said Kramer.
The FBI did not offer details on what its agents were investigating, but a sealed warrant was signed last week by a federal magistrate judge for investigation of wire fraud.
“I don’t wire anything, so I don’t have the slightest idea what they’re talking about,” Kramer said. “I think this is a fishing expedition based on rumor and inuendo.”
This is not Kramer’s first brush with serious accusations. In 2009, Contra Costa County paid out a nearly $1 million settlement to a worker who claimed Kramer retaliated against her after she accused him of sexual harassment.
In 2019, a Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury filed a rare formal accusation of “willful or corrupt misconduct” against Kramer.
Female employees reported unwanted sexual remarks and racial disparagement. The case went to trial but ended in a mistrial. The Democrat-controlled Board of Supervisors had already censured him.
Kramer has long been dogged by allegations of using his office for personal revenge and inside dealing, according to East Bay Times:
- A 2003 allegation involving a forged deed that allowed him to acquire half a property, reportedly saving him $21,000 in property taxes.
- In 2009, he was accused of overvaluing vacant properties belonging to a developer he was feuding with — hitting the owner with roughly $200,000 in extra taxes. He blamed staff.
- His own daughter-in-law accused him of improperly raising her property tax assessment as retaliation in a family dispute.
The most recent and damning case involves a former appraiser in his own office, Andrea Albrecht. She claimed Kramer directed staff to improperly lower the value of a senior-housing complex by at least $3 million, according to the Mercury News.
When she raised concerns and pushed for the correct higher appraisal, she was retaliated against. The county was forced to settle her lawsuit in January 2026.
An employee tried to stop the corruption. She was punished. Taxpayers footed the bill for the settlement. This is the Democrat way in California.
The post FBI RAIDS Democrat-Controlled California Assessor’s Office and Assessor’s Home — Hit With Three Federal Search Warrants Amid Corruption, Favoritism, and Sexual Harassment Scandals appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.