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U.S Attorneys are asking a federal judge to sentence disgraced former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu to 8 months in prison for wire fraud, obstruction of justice and lying to FBI agents about trying to ram through the corrupted Angel Stadium sale in an effort to get $1 million in campaign support.
Yet Sidhu, through his attorneys, is asking for three years of probation and community service – or a home arrest sentence.
In a sentencing request filed in U.S. District Court on Friday, federal prosecutors are asking a federal judge to give Sidhu an 8-month prison term, a $40,000 fine and one year of supervision after his release.
“The government submits that this sentence is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to punish defendant, promote respect for the law, deter others from committing similar crimes in the future, and avoid sentencing disparities,” federal prosecutors wrote.
Click here to read the court filing from the U.S Attorney’s office.
Sidhu’s sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 28 at the Ronald Reagan Courthouse in Santa Ana.
Sidhu’s sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 28 at the Ronald Reagan Courthouse in Santa Ana.
A Corrupted Stadium Sale
In 2019, Sidhu spearheaded a lease reinstatement for the Angels – a deal he touted as a temporary lease extension at the time – shortly after the ball team opted out of the lease ahead of the 2018 election.
[Read: Anaheim Mayor and City Staff Offer Contradicting Angels Stadium Statements]
From there, Sidhu was able to get himself appointed to the city’s negotiating team – a move federal prosecutors say also involved giving the team confidential information.
“Without informing the rest of that team, defendant provided confidential inside information belonging to the city – including confidential negotiation information – to Todd Ament, who was then CEO of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and to a consultant working for the Angels (the “Angels consultant”), so that the Angels could buy Angel Stadium from the city on terms beneficial to the Angels,” reads the court filing.
It took the city council less than two months to decide to sell Angel Stadium to the ball team after negotiations officially began in November 2019 – raising a host of concerns that secret decisions were being made about public land.
[Read: Did Anaheim Council Members Know About Stadium Sale Proposal Beforehand?]
Federal prosecutors lambasted Sidhu’s schemes.
“Defendant betrayed the City of Anaheim. He deleted the evidence of his conduct and lied repeatedly to federal agents. He lied again, later, simply to avoid paying sales tax on a 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” federal prosecutors wrote.
Sidhu resigned shortly after revelations of the corruption probe in May 2022 and the stadium sale was canned around the same time.
[Read: Anaheim City Council Cans Angel Stadium Deal After FBI Corruption Probe Into City Hall]
“Rather than work to ensure the city of Anaheim received the best deal possible from the Angels, defendant 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,” federal prosecutors wrote.
Sidhu’s Friday court filing objects to prison time, saying he’s paid back the taxes he evaded on a helicopter, cooperated with federal investigators, admitted fault and had no criminal record prior to the federal case.
“Following public disclosure of the investigation, Mr. Sidhu voluntarily resigned as Mayor, cooperated with federal authorities, and made full restitution with interest to the State of California,” reads Sidhu’s filing.
Click here to read Sidhu’s court filing.
Sidhu’s court filing also contends he didn’t commit bribery.
“Mr. Sidhu never agreed with the Angels to use his position as mayor to approve the stadium deal, he never asked the Angels for a campaign donation after the Stadium deal was approved, and the Angels never made any such campaign donation,” reads Sidhu’s filing. “Indeed, Mr. Sidhu has never been charged with bribery, honest services fraud, or any other public corruption offense,” read’s the filing.
Sidhu Asks For No Prison Time
Attorneys Paul Meyer and Craig Wilke, who are representing Sidhu, are asking for a sentence of three years probation, the $40,000 fine and “a reasonable amount of community service.”
“Should the Court decline to afford Mr. Sidhu a variance, his 8-14 month sentencing guideline range is within Zone B of the Sentencing Table and, therefore, may be satisfied by probation with the condition a condition of home confinement. U.S.S.G. § 5B1.1(a)(2), or extensive community service, as recommended by Probation. Under such circumstances, if the Court deems necessary, a sentence of three-years probation with the condition that he serve the minimum term of imprisonment on home confinement would be appropriate,” reads Sidhu’s filing.
Sidhu’s attorneys say he helped federal investigators in other areas.
“Mr. Sidhu also fully cooperated with federal authorities in their investigation of others by providing complete and truthful information to federal prosecutors and agents about several matters that are the subject of ongoing federal investigations.
Sidhu, in his filing, also denies any political corruption.
“By deleting emails and making false statements to federal agents, Mr. Sidhu admittedly sought to impede and obstruct a federal investigation, but he did not seek to cover-up criminal conduct and never committed an act of political corruption,” reads the filing.
Sidhu also sent a letter to the court, detailing his life – including his journey to America from India with $6 in his pocket and how he worked his way from a janitor to an engineer and eventually to a restaurant franchise operator before becoming first elected to the Anaheim City Council in 2004.
“It all goes back to making a major difference in the community” Sidhu wrote, adding that when he began his term as mayor in late 2018, he led efforts to clear out a homeless camp that popped up in Maxwell Park and opened an emergency shelter.
In that letter, Sidhu also described his involvement in the sale of Angel Stadium, emailing confidential information about the city’s position during negotiations to an Angel consultant, deleting the emails and then lying to federal agents about it.
“I regret sending the points even though doing so was not a crime. It put me into a difficult political situation, and then I committed a crime to cover it up. I should have never done this,” Sidhu wrote, along with detailing – in his words – what he did.
“I share these details not to excuse my actions but to take responsibility and ask for your understanding,” Sidhu wrote.
Yet federal prosecutors say his letter shows he fully understood what he was doing during his crimes.
“The PSR details an impressive history, chronicling defendant’s successful efforts, after immigrating to the United States at 17, to obtain an education, build a career, build a business, raise a family, and give back to the public. The government submits, however, that defendant’s personal history is aggravating, rather than mitigating,” reads the court filing from federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors noted Sidhu wasn’t financially desperate when he committed the crimes and that he’s educated and was a successful businessman and politician.
“Defendant knew right from wrong and had the means, the ability, and the options to live any life he wanted. Unfortunately, he chose, time and again, to prioritize his political career and personal finances over doing the right thing or faithfully serving the public.”
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.
Reporter Hosam Elattar contributed to this story.
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