
At an Irvine City Council debate last week, Democratic candidate Dr. Kathleen Treseder made a startling statement – that she was interviewed by the FBI as part of a federal investigation into corruption in the City of Irvine related to irregularities associated with the Orange County Power Authority.
Treseder says she met with Mayor Farrah Khan’s former political consultant Melahat Rafiei who told her Khan made a deal to protect OCPA CEO Brian Probolsky in exchange for a Coastal Committee nomination. In June, TheLiberalOC received communication from State Senate pro Tempore Toni Atkins office that the senator doesn’t even know Brian Probolsky or his pollster brother Adam, which means Brian Probolsky had no influence whatsoever in moving a Khan/Coastal Commission appointment forward. Khan was asked to run for the position by Unite Here, the Union led by DPOC chair Ada Briceno. There were three candidates (Arlis Reynolds, Joe Kalmick, and Farrah Khan) that were recommended by City Selection but none of them were appointed to the Commission.
Treseder also claims the State of California and Orange County are also investigating this case (the Orange County Grandy Jury already has and issued a report critical of OCPA). It’s unclear if the county still has an investigation open. Of course, there are audits of OCPA from various cities and the state that are underway.
At the debate, Treseder said, “How do I know about the FBI investigation? I am a witness. They have interviewed me. And I will tell you, (audio cuts out) …starting making very strange decisions about which contracts to award to which vendors. Some of the activists I work with, we were trying to reach some of the board members including Mayor Farrah Khan to ask her to potentially step in. We heard that in order to persuade Mayor Khan, we had to talk to Melahat Rafiei, her campaign coordinator. We met with her. During that meeting, we asked her to ask Mayor Khan to remove (Brian) Probolsky. She said ‘nope’ ‘no way’ ‘we’re not going to do it.’ And I said I heard a rumor that Mayor Khan has been protecting Brian Probolsky in exchange for political favors. Is that true? And Melahat Rafiei said “yes.” She is. Brian promised to get her nominated to the Coastal Commission in exchange for protecting his position. Specifically, he was supposed to whip votes for a committee of cities but where they decide to send forward to the state for this appointment. The person I was with said it sounds like you’re talking about almost a cabal. By the way I don’t like that word but that is what she said. Melahat Rafiei said in response “Yes. It is a cabal and your mayor is part of the cabal. Thank you.”
Treseder did not identify the other activist who could collaborate this accounting. Rafiei did.
Rafiei gave this statement to TheLiberalOC and the Orange County Register in response to Tresder’s debate statements:
“Kathleen Treseder continues to play fast and loose with the truth. The meeting she described never happened. I met with Treseder (along with Nicole Capretz of the Climate Action Committee) in June 2021 when she (Treseder) was considering hiring my firm. She wanted my advice on whether attacking the OCPA could help her campaign. I told her trying to turn the non-partisan OCPA into a political football was a bad idea. Though she sought my advice and counsel then. Ms. Treseder now apparently thinks she has more to gain by demonizing me for the assistance I provided the FBI in investigating corruption in Anaheim. Why, I have no idea. She would do better to focus on issues that matter to Irvine’s voters.”
In June 2021, Treseder and Rafiei were scheduling a meeting to discuss Rafiei’s representation of Treseder’s campaign. On June 17, Treseder replied to an email proposing a team meeting with Rafiei’s team to review the contract. “Wonderful! I’m so excited. Would that time on Thursday or Friday work for you?” wrote Treseder.
During the 2020 election cycle, Treseder gave $100 to the campaign of Republican Mike Carroll. Sources say Treseder was upset when Carroll, the chair of OCPA, did not place Treseder on the Board of the new green energy power authority.
In response to Treseder’s debate answer, Mayor Khan issued a statement on October 21, first on her official mayoral Twitter account (which she deleted) and then re-tweeted on her personal account: “First of all, there is no FBI investigation. Treseder and others are repeatedly calling the FBI to investigate.”
The FBI and the Department of Justice will not confirm or deny an existing investigation in Irvine.
Typically, witnesses to an FBI investigation are told that cannot discuss their interactions or conversations with the Bureau to anyone other than their attorney. Subjects of the investigation and witnesses to federal investigations are typically told to say nothing after interactions or conversations with investigators.
While rare, it’s possible the FBI did not offer this warning to Treseder, leaving her to believe she could speak of her “interview.” But if there is an active investigation and the FBI discovers she’s spoken of it, they can muzzle her comments moving forward. If they have told Treseder not to say anything about an investigation in Irvine, Treseder’s revelation at the debate could result in possible obstruction of justice charges against the UCI professor. If she continues to speak out, its entirely possible that she is free to do so or because there is no investigation. If “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, it’d be Christmas every day, and the FBI isn’t talking.
From the Department of Justice website, “The DOJ generally will not confirm the existence of or otherwise comment about ongoing investigations. DOJ personnel shall not respond to questions about the existence of an ongoing investigation or comment on its nature or progress before charges are publicly filed.
Individuals, groups and organizations occasionally send letters requesting that a person or entity be investigated for violations of law. Sometimes, the requestor publicizes the request. Receipt of a request to open an investigation may be publicly acknowledged but care should be taken to avoid implying that the referral will lead to an investigation. There is a distinction between reviewing a request and opening an investigation.
TheLiberalOC has made FOIA requests of the FBI regarding details on records associated with Rafiei’s “arrest” and if there is any violation of federal law in Irvine associated with the OCPA.
So Treseder is making up meeting and conversations, and carefully editing what actually happened. No surprise. Why not invent an FBI investigation, too?
Better question: why doesn’t she concentrate on issues that are real and important to the people she wants to vote for her instead of playing magical thinking fantasy games?
In a question of credibility, I side with Dr. Kathleen Treseder, a political ally with Katie Porter, and NOT with Farrah CON-JOB and Melahat CW1 Rafaei and their OC Cabal.
Keep digging your own hole Dan.
-Luis Huang
What federal crime was committed Luis?
It is so sad to see Treseder and her cabal use poor Luis Huang as their online henchman. Luis exhibits clear signs of mental illness. As someone who also deals with mental disease, I hope and pray Luis gets some help. Its sad to watch. I mean just because an unimportant white woman says something doesn’t make it fact.
Treseder removed a Tweet where she used a photo of Farrah Khan and Melahat’s 9 year old son at the Irvine protest in support of Iranian women (attended by hundreds of people). Kids are off limits. She has two teenage daughters and no one should use photos of them in posts. The post came down after she was shamed into it. With Tresder’s latest series of Tweets, I fail to see why Irvine voters should cast a ballot for her for council. You only go negative when you have no positives to run on. Polling I’ve seen suggests there will be no changes to the Irvine city council.
Who made you the bigot police, Chubby??
who made you the bigot police?
Luis by all appearances is a combination of Greg Diamond (Crazy and self-important AF), Vern Nelson (Near Destitute and needs a pedicure) and Verns brother Cecil (the dude who dresses up like Minnie Mouse at ACC meetings).
It’s as if the blogesphere is recreating Vince Sarmientos Santa Ana or Ahmeds Fullerton: Bat shit crazed Zombies spouting nonsense. Instead of pushing a shopping cart filthy, naked and hungry, they just post nonsense.
Got to get that right med balance boys….
At least they have psychiatric nurse Fred Sigala Jr. Around to lend a hand.
I’m told Vern has a job with SEIU organizing fast food workers
Luis Huang is mentally disturbed communist and Greg Diamond is predatory lawyer. Greg wrote article about #JamesMai Hate Incident to weaponise against Doug Chaffee. He never show up to Irvine City Council about Mai. Last meeting the Council make Hindu Heritage Month on same day they reappoint Mai. So Hindus protest and call out hypocrisy. Greg is all crickets. He cannot even turn up to talk about his own article.
There once was a man named Dan
Who lied as fast as he can
He lied to friend, He lied to foe
He lied to all, truth be damned
That’s pretty funny.
My family had a wonderful dinner with our Turkish neighbors. Not one of them is a radical and they vote Democratic.
You are prolly lying or they are lying to you.
No; very nice people. Very nice neighbors
Treseder seems like a tin foil conspiracy theorist, or a pathological liar, allegedly!
It’s been a week since she made her claim. Story not picked up by the OC Register, LA Times, Voice of OC, any of the news radio stations, nor any TV news. You have to wonder why
Treseder isn’t Ms. Transparency. She started calling the FBI in May when the Anaheim case went down. Dropped the right name. Left messages. She gets two call backs from the FBI “returning her calls” and she thinks this is an investigation? She’s just pissed that she wasn’t placed on the OCPA board thinking $100 to Mike Carroll would buy her way in
Mike Fox says he talked to the FBI about Melahat and Farrah. His wife was supposed to be one of the councilmembers bribed, but she wasn’t. Too bad the FBI didn’t ask him about his identity theft. Maybe the state bar will cite him for not having a California law license
A friend tells me Michael Fox is like herpes. Just when you think he’s gone away he flares up again. He’s hated Farrah for a long time. I’m sure his 100 Twitter followers are swayed
The fact that Luis Huoang, Ver Nelson, Greg Diamond, John Scott Horner…errt Mike
Fox, support Treseder speaks volumes.
I got a pornographic Halloween card from Verns wife. What is wrong with these people?
Dude. When will Vince Sarmiemto, Jose Moreno and other “progressives” speak up. These dumb ass mailers are too much.
Is it really OK???? Ada and Farrah catch sh!t for percieved slights and Vern and Donna send pornographic, racist screed to people and that’s OK?
I CAN’T WAIT FOR ASHLIEGHS EXPLAINATION/EXCUSE.
From the Voice of OC story:
“I think it’s important for the public to know this, and they may want to vote based on that,” Treseder said in an interview. “I can’t say what the FBI is doing, but I can tell the public what I witnessed.”
And why would the public vote for Treseder based on her role in this; she had reached an agreement to hire Rafiei before everything went down in May.
And this from the VOC story: To back up her story of the FBI investigating, Treseder shared multiple recordings with Voice of OC reporters of voicemails from agents trying to get in touch with her.
The clips were altered to remove the calling agent’s name, including one where the agent says they reached out after seeing a post from the Orange Juice blog discussing Treseder’s allegations.
“Altered voice mails?”
and… (Nicole) Capretz did not respond to requests for comment. You have to wonder why.
Ironically the VOC article mentions inminivanhell. Now where do we know that name???
Oh that’s right Vern and Donna Nelson’s vulgar, Drunken tweets. I heard about a new round of mailers with links to Jenna Becks video as well as Tito watched expose’..
Farrah was right….OJB is a joke.
I know her real name but she’d rather stay anonymous
Who could blame her?
Where are the political “do gooders” on this?
Does Ashliegh Aitken actually take Vern’s calls as he claims, is Katrina Foley really a “dear friend” as Vern AND Donna say?
These vile creatins make Diamond’s bed sheets look like the Four Seasons (sorry for the visual).
Speaking of visuals. There are reports of Vern at the Juke Joint on Anaheim Blvd. Sipping and finishing people’s left over drinks. GROSS.
Why aren’t you writing about the #j
#JamesMaiHateCrime, Dan ?
Why aren’t you writing about
#JamesMaiHateCrime, Dan ?
Why aren’t you writing about
#JamesMaiHateCrime,Dan?
election day is next week and I’ve had a lot of business travel in the past two months
I shoulda stopped at 15!!!!
Can you please write about #JamesMaiHateCrime,Dan? He should not be able to be on Child Care or Housing Authourities Commission.