The federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao began in earnest Wednesday, with prosecutors and defense attorneys presenting the jury with starkly different versions of the case.

At the start of what’s expected to be a roughly six-week trial, opposing attorneys painted the defendants as, on one hand, cunning political operatives and shady businessmen who participated in a lucrative bribery and influence-peddling scheme or, on the other hand, victims of a vengeful Oakland “kingmaker” who is helping prosecutors in the hope of receiving a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to his own bribery charge.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.