Two key Orange County political figures quit their posts within 24 hours of each other in the aftermath of a massive federal public corruption probe tied to the proposed sale of Angel Stadium and charges that a clandestine "cabal" controlled Anaheim's politics.
In an affidavit supporting a search warrant application earlier this month, Mayor Harry Sidhu was accused of fraud, bribery, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. On Tuesday, he announced his resignation.
His attorney made the news in a two-paragraph statement after another important official implicated in the investigation, Melahat Rafiei, tendered her resignation as a member of the Democratic National Committee and state party secretary.
Sidhu's attorney, Paul Meyer, indicated in a statement that his client denied misconduct and resigned "to continue to operate in the best interests of Anaheim and to allow this great city to go forward without distraction."
Sidhu, a Republican elected to the City Council in November 2018, resigned in response to a demand from the council's remaining six members.
FBI Special Agent Brian Adkins alleged in the search warrant affidavit that Sidhu gave the Angels of Major League Baseball confidential information on at least two occasions during the city's negotiations with the team over the $350 million Angel Stadium sale in exchange for a $1 million campaign contribution.
The document also accuses the mayor of hindering an inquiry by the Orange County Grand Jury investigating the agreement.
During a December 2021 meeting covertly recorded by Todd Ament, the former head of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce who assisted with the inquiry, the mayor talked about his forthcoming reelection campaign and the Angels.
"We will insist that they have at least 1 million dollars. Knowingly, [Angels Representative 1's] refusal is unacceptable," the mayor said.
The Angels are not accused of misconduct in the affidavit. The 64-year-old Sidhu has not been charged.
In the meantime, Rafiei identified herself as the confidential witness mentioned in an affidavit supporting a criminal complaint accusing Ament of lying to a mortgage lender to local media sources.
The document stated that the witness, designated as CW1, was detained in October 2019 on a federal bribery charge, but the government dismissed the complaint at the witness's request when he agreed to assist. However, no additional cooperation is anticipated.
Adkins, an FBI special agent, said, "I also believe CW1 concealed important facts to investigators during CW1's cooperation with the FBI, including additional instances where CW1 promised to pay bribes to political officials."
