Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for obstruction of justice, lying to an FBI agent, and wire fraud. Sidhu will spend an additional year on supervised release and must pay $55,000 in fines.
The sentence came a year and a half after his guilty plea in a corruption case related to the scuttled sale of Angel Stadium. Sidhu admitted he deleted emails that he sent to former Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament and an Angels consultant containing inside information about the city’s negotiating position.
Sidhu was trying to help the Angels get the upper hand in the deal in expectation of receiving a $1 million donation, federal prosecutors said. Sidhu also committed wire fraud in order to avoid paying sales and use taxes on a helicopter he purchased.
In a letter, Sidhu said he is “ashamed” of his actions.
“I have learned hard lessons from this experience, including disgracing my family and destroying my career and reputation.”
More shoes could drop from the FBI investigation into city corruption which was first revealed three years ago. In a March 14 court filing, Sidhu’s attorneys said their client has fully cooperated and provided information “about several matters that are the subject of ongoing federal investigations.”
Read more at the Los Angeles Times and Voice of OC.