ANAHEIM – In a 41 page affidavit, the FBI lays out the reason for their inquiry into the sale of Angel Stadium, after Attorney General Rob Bonta signed off on a settlement agreement arising from claims of the City violating the Surplus Land Act.
The inquiry had a boomerang effect as the FBI released details of a 99-count indictment against the former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, who has close ties to Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu, who is now under federal scrutiny.
Todd Ament, is the former president of the Anaheim Chamber and is charged with conspiring with a political consultant, who headed a public relations firm, to launder proceeds intended for the chamber through the PR firm, that ultimately went into Arment’s bank account for a home loan.
Related: Anaheim Chamber of Commerce Gets $425,000 Contract From City at Request of Mayor Sidhu
Simultaneously, the sale of the Angels Stadium was under scrutiny for the manner in which the deal was done rather hastily, at the mayor’s urging, which then resulted in a settlement with Bonta’s office.
According to FBI statements, Sidhu’s motive for speeding through the stadium sale was to get the Angels to steer as much as $1 million in independent campaign expenditures during his upcoming reelection campaign later this year.
Voice of OC
The documents also allege shredding of documents was part of the equation to cover their nefarious activities.
FBI agents detailed an ongoing investigation – one that already alleges a disturbing bid by Sidhu to peddle information to the Angels, destroy documents and steer public bodies like the OC Grand Jury away from any kind of critical review of the sale.
Voice of OC
It’s a scene straight out of the hit HBO series, Succession, where cousin Greg was charged with signing off on approval of destroying documents related to a federal probe of the family’s media empire.
In local coincidences, Inglewood Councilman George Dotson is the sucker charged with hosting countless document shredding events where residents regularly complain that the receptacles are already full by the time the event starts.
Inglewood residents can also recall the shroud of secrecy involving both the NFL and NBA deals, whose owners contributed an exorbitant amount of money to the mayor’s 2018 campaign through an independent expenditure account.
Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer supported Butts through more than $280,000 he contributed personally to an independent committee.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr. wins third term by huge margin
Three members of the Anaheim city council have called on Harry Sidhu to resign. As of now he has yet to do so.
Are James T. Butts and Halimah Ginyard on the FBI’s radar too?
Click here to read the letter signed off by the council members to Sidhu’s attorney of record.
Click here to read the affidavit.
2 Comments
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton
Let’s certainly hope so !!
It may take many more agents we have a much more tangled mess and many of those involved have “Law Enforcement “ experience..
Connecting the dots should not be hard.