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The controversial sale of Angel Stadium to a company controlled by club owner Arte Moreno is on hold after a judge issued a 60-day stay on Tuesday amid a corruption investigation of Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu.
The $320 million sale spearheaded by Sidhu was originally agreed to in 2019 before objections from community leaders and California regulators over allegations the plan violated affordable housing law.
Anaheim’s city council was scheduled to vote on a reworked plan meant to address the housing concerns next month.
Sidhu sought to push the sale through “with the expectation of receiving a sizeable contribution to his reelection campaign from a prominent Angels representative,” according to Monday’s court filing by the California Attorney’s General’s Office.
Allegations from FBI Agent
The 55-page filing’s most troublesome accusations came from FBI Special Agent Brian Adkins, who used information gleaned from unnamed cooperating witnesses and electronic communications.
- While he was unknowingly recorded in December, Sidhu said that he wanted a “minimum of a million dollars” for his reelection campaign in a conversation with an unnamed senior employee of the Angels.
- Sidhu shared “privileged and confidential information” with the Angels, a potential violation of a state open-government law.
- Sidhu attempted to delete emails and text messages related to his attempt to hinder a grand jury investigation of the transaction.
Sidhu has not been charged, although former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce President Todd Ament — a major player in city politics — was indicted in federal court Tuesday for lying to a mortgage lender.
