Ex-Anaheim mayor convicted in corruption scandal sentenced to two months in federal prison

Two years after he pleaded guilty to federal charges, former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was sentenced Friday to two months in federal prison for his role in an Orange County corruption scandal linked to the sale of Angel Stadium.

Sidhu, 67, was also ordered to pay a $55,000 fine. He was not taken into custody immediately after the hearing in U.S. District Court, but instead was allowed to return Sept. 2, when he is expected to begin his sentence.

Sidhu was accused of soliciting a $1 million campaign contribution from the Angels baseball organization in exchange for passing them confidential information while negotiating the sale of Angel Stadium.

He later resigned from his position as mayor and pleaded guilty to federal obstruction of justice, wire fraud and making false statements to federal agencies.

Federal prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge John Holcomb to sentence Sidhu to eight months in prison, a $40,000 fine and one year of supervision following his release. Sidhu's lawyers wanted three years of probation, a $175,000 fine and 400 hours of community service, according to court documents.

Holcomb acknowledged that Sidhu had "breached the trust of the public," but the judge said the two-month term was appropriate given the ex-mayor's "significant" cooperation in the case, his admission of guilt, his age and his health.

Background on the case

In 2020, the Anaheim City Council approved selling Angel Stadium to the owners of the baseball team for $320 million. But the sale fell through two years later when federal investigators revealed that Sidhu shared “city-specific information” to the Angels’ owners that they could then use against the city in negotiations.

In their sentencing request, prosecutors wrote Sidhu did not act in the city’s best interests and instead “worked behind the scenes to make the potential deal better for the Angels — and as defendant later acknowledged in a recorded phone call, did so with the expectation that he would receive a significant campaign contribution of at least $1 million.”

Sidhu, prosecutors said, then deleted emails related to the stadium deal and lied when first questioned by the FBI, stating that he expected “nothing” from the sale.

Separately, Sidhu also admitted to lying to the Federal Aviation Administration to avoid paying state taxes for his helicopter.

“Defendant did not engage in this criminal conduct out of desperation, or addiction, or because he had no better options: he did so to further his own political ambition and to save himself a relatively trivial amount of money,” prosecutors wrote.

Sidhu responds

During the Friday hearing in Santa Ana, Sidhu was asked if he wanted to address the court.

“I am ashamed,” he said.

Earlier, he had written a personal statement to the judge. In it, Sidhu talked about his journey to America from India with $6 in his pocket and how he started work in America as a janitor.

Sidhu eventually became an engineer and then a restaurant franchise operator. He was elected to the Anaheim City Council in 2004.

“I have learned hard lessons from this experience, including disgracing my family and destroying my career and reputation,” Sidhu wrote.

After the sentencing hearing, Paul S. Meyer, an attorney for Sidhu, said in a statement that he and his client appreciated the court's "thoughtful" hearing and the government's detailed investigation.

“Harry has expressed his apology for his actions of email deletion,  mis-statements to the FBI and helicopter tax violations," the statement read. "Harry appreciates the broad outreach of support from those who know him well and respect his decades of public service.”

Other pending cases

Sidhu is one of several people charged in the corruption scandal.

Todd Ament, the former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role. He admitted to wire fraud, lying to a mortgage lender, falsifying his tax returns and other crimes.

He now faces up to 30 years or more in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

Federal prosecutors called Ament one of the ringleaders of a “cabal” of elected officials, political consultants and business leaders who worked behind the scenes to influence Anaheim politics. They said he laundered money meant for the Chamber of Commerce to his coffers in order to defraud a mortgage lender for a home in Big Bear.

Ament is also accused of orchestrating meetings between power brokers to discuss public matters in private.

Former Orange County Democratic Party leader Melahat Rafiei, a cooperating witness in the FBI investigation into Ament, also pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

Sentencing dates have yet to be set for Ament and Rafiei.