It’s about time. And a reminder, without the work of Melahat Rafiei for the FBI, this never would have happened.
From the story:
The plea agreement filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana offers an extraordinary look inside Sidhu’s efforts to sell the stadium to a company controlled by the Angels’ owner for $320 million. A mock City Council meeting was scheduled in advance of the sale to rehearse talking points, the plea agreement said, that was to include Sidhu, two unnamed City Council members, an Angels consultant, the team president, a team attorney and the then-president of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce.
An email setting the agenda for a mock council meeting scheduled to take place Sept. 21, 2020, laid out a detailed plan and noted: “[Angels] team available to help develop ‘zingers,’ responses and other points to improve performance.” Sidhu was to play himself and “He is expected to be a strong defender of the deal and know its terms, at least at the policy level, well.”
…
In a January 2022 conversation covertly recorded by the FBI, Sihdu repeated the million-dollar figure: “Because I am hoping to get at least a million … I’m going to be pushing for it. [Angels representative] actually asked me. He said, ‘What can I do for your election?’ I said, ‘Let me finish your deal first, and then we’ll talk about that.’”
When FBI agents interviewed Sidhu on May 12, 2022, the plea agreement said, he “falsely stated” that he expected “nothing” from the Angels after the stadium deal was completed, that he did not conduct city business from his personal email and that “he did not recall ever providing information about the Stadium sale to the Angels consultant during negotiations over that sale.”
…
“Defendant knowingly and willfully made these false statements with knowledge both that the statements were untrue and that his conduct was unlawful,” the plea agreement said.
Though it doesn’t identify the Angels consultant by name, details in the agreement and an FBI affidavit filed last year match prominent local lobbyist Jeff Flint.
The plea agreement said Sidhu destroyed emails related to the stadium sale. They include one sent from a personal email account to the Angels consultant and the former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce in July 2020 which had an attached document with “confidential negotiation information related to the potential sale of the stadium, discussion of issues related to price and other terms of the sale.”
“Defendant was using the Angels consultant and [the former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce president] to provide that confidential inside information to the Angels so that the Angels could use that information in the negotiations with the City to purchase Angel Stadium on terms beneficial to the Angels,” the plea agreement said.
So when does Jeff Flint get charged?
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken released the following statement:
MAYOR ASHLEIGH AITKEN RELEASES STATEMENT ON SIDHU GUILTY PLEA
Anaheim, CA – Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken released the following statement in response to the news that disgraced former Mayor Harry Sidhu will plead guilty to corruption charges tied to his attempt to sell Angel Stadium:
“This is a sad day for the city of Anaheim, and it’s possibly just the tip of the iceberg. The collusion between the former mayor, fellow council members, and the Angels is appalling and further shows the need for real reform. I’d like to thank law enforcement – including the FBI and my former colleagues in the US Attorney’s Office for all their work on this case. My resolve is strengthened that basic reforms are urgently needed to turn the city around and move us forward.”
###
The interesting part of the statement is it was sent separately from the City of Anahem and from Overland Strategies, a political consulting firm Aitken used for her campaign.
Funny how Melahat Rafiei was a good enough witness that she helped the FBI make the Anaheim case successful, yet they decided she wasn’t “truthful” or reliable when she didn’t have what the wanted about others.
It seems unfair that after being run through a public meat grinder that Melahat is never given credit for YEARS of voluntary cooperation with the FBI in bringing this case to conclusion.
exactly
Yes, we should all be so grateful to the admitted criminal who outed another criminal in an attempt to save her own skin.
I’ll remind you, initially the FBI dismissed her charges without prejudice. Rarely do they reinstate charges. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting on any news about an FBI investigation in Irvine beyond the fact they interviewed the city manager. But make no mistake, the Anaheim Cabal fell because of Melahat’s work with the FBI.
Melahat is an admitted felon. She will be sentenced in October and will be going to prison. She is not a “warrior for justice” as you would have us believe. She is another greedy criminal political operative. And the FBI did NOT “dismiss her charges with prejudice.” The FBI cannot do that. You pulled that one out of your … hat ..
Go back and read the original case stories. They did dismiss the case then refiled
You can’t refile something dismissed with prejudice.
well, I made a mistake on “with prejudice or without.” But I’m not going to walk back the notion that without Melahat wearnig a wire, the cabal still runs Anaheim. And Greg made a whole blog post about my mistake…good for him. But back to the issues of his disclosures and ethics, I have a copy of the DPOC Central Committee roster when he, me and his step-daughter were all Central Committee members. They both listed the same address for a rental house in Brea. So if she, in fact, contributed to the monthly rent from which he would have benefitted, what is your opinion on the ethics of him disclosing this in blog posts of candidates and electeds from which she derived income. But maybe she has her own place now. And since Greg is so eager to point out mistakes, perhaps his step daughter can correct the spelling of “Pyschology” in her bio
WOW! Mike Tardif actually makes more sense. What a world.
yeah, I made a mistake…he is right
Boom. Rata!
Once during the public comments time, Raifei yelled into the mike at an Irvine city council meeting. She indignantly made a point of how we love immigrants and how dare anyone suggest otherwise! So this big bully has now met her match. However, ask any jailed Jan 6th prisoner who has no voice or rights, if the FBI is fair.
and she’s was absolutely right then; January 6th prisoners committed treason. I hope they all rot in jail
Rafiei is already getting away with defrauding Melissa Fox and bribing an Irvine City Council member. However, maybe we do need a marijuana shop here in Irvine. With our open borders it is easier to buy fentanyl than to purchase pot. Meanwhile let’s ignore the child trafficking.
Funny how Melahat Rafiei was a good enough witness that she helped the FBI make the Anaheim case successful, yet they decided she wasn’t “truthful” or reliable when she didn’t have what the wanted about others.
It seems unfair that after being run through a public meat grinder that Melahat is never given credit for YEARS of voluntary cooperation with the FBI in bringing this case to conclusion.
exactly
Yes, we should all be so grateful to the admitted criminal who outed another criminal in an attempt to save her own skin.
I’ll remind you, initially the FBI dismissed her charges without prejudice. Rarely do they reinstate charges. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting on any news about an FBI investigation in Irvine beyond the fact they interviewed the city manager. But make no mistake, the Anaheim Cabal fell because of Melahat’s work with the FBI.
Melahat is an admitted felon. She will be sentenced in October and will be going to prison. She is not a “warrior for justice” as you would have us believe. She is another greedy criminal political operative. And the FBI did NOT “dismiss her charges with prejudice.” The FBI cannot do that. You pulled that one out of your … hat ..
Go back and read the original case stories. They did dismiss the case then refiled
You can’t refile something dismissed with prejudice.
thank you; I meant the other thing https://www.ocregister.com/2023/01/18/melahat-rafiei-who-was-central-to-the-fbis-anaheim-investigation-takes-plea-deal/
well, I made a mistake on “with prejudice or without.” But I’m not going to walk back the notion that without Melahat wearnig a wire, the cabal still runs Anaheim. And Greg made a whole blog post about my mistake…good for him. But back to the issues of his disclosures and ethics, I have a copy of the DPOC Central Committee roster when he, me and his step-daughter were all Central Committee members. They both listed the same address for a rental house in Brea. So if she, in fact, contributed to the monthly rent from which he would have benefitted, what is your opinion on the ethics of him disclosing this in blog posts of candidates and electeds from which she derived income. But maybe she has her own place now. And since Greg is so eager to point out mistakes, perhaps his step daughter can correct the spelling of “Pyschology” in her bio
WOW! Mike Tardif actually makes more sense. What a world.
yeah, I made a mistake…he is right
Boom. Rata!
Once during the public comments time, Raifei yelled into the mike at an Irvine city council meeting. She indignantly made a point of how we love immigrants and how dare anyone suggest otherwise! So this big bully has now met her match. However, ask any jailed Jan 6th prisoner who has no voice or rights, if the FBI is fair.
and she’s was absolutely right then; January 6th prisoners committed treason. I hope they all rot in jail
Rafiei is already getting away with defrauding Melissa Fox and bribing an Irvine City Council member. However, maybe we do need a marijuana shop here in Irvine. With our open borders it is easier to buy fentanyl than to purchase pot. Meanwhile let’s ignore the child trafficking.