MARTINEZ — FBI agents raided the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office and searched the homes and cars of longtime Assessor Gus Kramer and the official elected last week to replace him, according to a search warrant that says agents were seeking evidence of wire fraud and “other offenses.”
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The Tuesday morning operation, confirmed by an FBI spokeswoman, included searches of the assessor’s office on Arnold Drive, Kramer’s home on West Arlington Street in Martinez, and Assistant County Assessor Vince Robb’s home on Temple Drive in Pacheco. A copy of one warrant, obtained by the Bay Area News Group, authorized federal agents to search the Arnold Drive office and cars connected to both men, including Kramer’s 2014 white Ford Taurus. It was signed June 4 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Illman.
The raids come just one week after Robb, Kramer’s longtime colleague and chosen successor, cruised to victory in the race to fill Kramer’s seat. He won more than two-thirds of the vote, and is set to replace Kramer — the assessor since 1994 — in January 2027.
Neither Kramer nor Robb immediately responded to requests for comment Tuesday. At the Arnold Drive office, Kramer told KPIX that the raids could be attributed to “low people in high places” who were “weaponizing” law enforcement over some expensive properties. He suggested the raids were unnecessary, that if FBI agents had just “politely” asked, he would have given them whatever they wanted.
On Tuesday morning, county employees gathered in the Arnold Drive parking lot, barred from entering their offices, then dispersed when told they could take the rest of the day off.
A high-ranking county official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, said Kramer instructed employees not to cooperate with investigators before a county legal adviser intervened and told workers they had to comply. A representative for County Counsel Thomas Geiger said he was in meetings all day Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
A statement released by the county Tuesday afternoon said in part: “The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is aware of the ongoing federal law enforcement investigation at the Assessor’s Office. The County is monitoring the situation and cooperating.
“While there are certain limitations on the Board’s authority because the Assessor is an elected official, the Board is focused on ensuring the integrity of the assessment process and will explore all available options for its continued operation and delivery of services.”
The warrant cites alleged wire fraud and “other offenses,” but doesn’t provide additional details. It does not identify whether Kramer, Robb or anyone else is a target of the investigation.
A neighbor, who didn’t want to give his name, reported seeing about a dozen FBI agents at Kramer’s address early Tuesday morning. An FBI spokeswoman said the raids started around 7:30 a.m. At Robb’s address, an unidentified man with a beard called through a window, “We have no comment at this time,” when asked about the raids.
It is not the first time Kramer has been targeted by law enforcement or faced serious allegations of wrongdoing, but none of the investigations or allegations has led to a criminal charge or conviction, nor to Kramer’s removal or departure from office. The most recent controversy came in January, when the county paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused Kramer of improperly slashing a property’s value by millions of dollars — then retaliating against the employee who raised alarms about it.
In 2019, a civil grand jury sought his ouster for alleged workplace harassment, but he took the case to trial, where it ended with a hung jury. In 2011, the Contra Costa District Attorney investigated land deals tied to Kramer but the case went nowhere; two deputy district attorneys would later complain his then-boss Mark Peterson — who left office in 2017 after pleading guilty to stealing from his own campaign fund — killed the probe to protect Kramer, his friend.
His tenure has been dogged by controversy involving questionable assessments, real estate deals and his use of gift deeds to acquire property in the county. He took over the office in 1994 after winning an election against a dead man, and has long portrayed himself as an advocate for the little guy, fighting to keep property taxes low.
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In 2010, Kramer made 33 amendments to his state-required financial disclosure statements after this news organization reported he’d failed to report loans, business interests and property ownership in the county between 2002 and 2009. He sued the county after its board voted to censure him for alleged sexual harassment in the workplace and ran for a seat on the board amid the grand jury proceedings.
Robb has worked his way up the Assessor’s Office over the past 20 years, from junior appraiser in 2005 to being named assistant county assessor in September 2023. When Kramer announced he was leaving the office last December, he immediately endorsed Robb in the same news release. Robb is set to take over in January 2027.
Nick Spinner, one of the three candidates who ran to replace Kramer, said he didn’t want to speculate about the FBI raid.
“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 said. “I’ve always had a respectful working relationship with Vince.”
Another candidate, Kismat Kathrani, said in a statement that “I ran this campaign warning voters that the Assessor’s Office needed new leadership and real accountability. Today, the FBI confirmed what many of us already suspected — something was deeply wrong. The people of Contra Costa County deserve an Assessor’s Office they can trust, and that starts with a full, transparent federal investigation. Public trust must be restored, and the facts should come out as quickly as possible through the proper legal process.”
The raid on Tuesday was just the latest by federal agents amid a sprawling series of probes into possible political corruption across the East Bay.
Similar raids by the feds at addresses tied to then-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and then-San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo eventually led to criminal indictments against both politicians, as well as the businessmen accused of bribing them.
But another federal raid in March 2025 at the home of Contra Costa political consultant Mary Jo Rossi did not result in charges against her — a reminder that people whose homes or offices are searched are not always charged or accused of wrongdoing.
That raid culminated in corruption charges against the executives of a Concord homebuilding company, DeNova Homes, who had previously worked with her. That case remains ongoing, along with the separate cases involving Thao and Azevedo. DeNova’s owners are charged with offering a bribe to an Antioch councilman, who pretended to accept it but instead reported the alleged conduct to the FBI.
Kramer has repeatedly complained that he has been unfairly targeted by politicians and the media, including this news organization. Last Thursday, he emailed a reporter asking why recent coverage hasn’t focused on the good things he’s done, like “lowering over 200,000 people’s property taxes during the great downturn in the economy during 2008 to 2013.”
“Vince is elected and that’s what matters for the public’s sake. I sleep well at night knowing I was fair and transparent. I do have political enemies and one of them was your editorial board. That I have proof of,” Kramer said in an email.
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