Three Anaheim city councilors have returned several campaign donations to donors linked to corruption investigations conducted by the FBI.
Details of alleged fraudulent payment schemes were released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in affidavits that were made public in May involving the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Todd Ament and an unnamed political consultant.
The FBI released a second affidavit that day naming former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu and describing a possible pay-for-play scheme involving the sale of Anaheim Stadium to the Angels baseball team owner Arte Moreno’s development company.
The investigation reported a self-described “cabal” run by Ament and the unnamed political consultant—widely believed to be Jeff Flint of FSB Public Affairs/Core Strategic Group—that had close ties to Anaheim officials.
The group apparently met regularly at retreats in order to influence government operations, according to the affidavit. The investigation didn’t name the alleged officials involved.
Sidhu resigned in May but was not arrested or charged with a crime. The Angels franchise and its owners also are not accused of wrongdoing.
However, Ament was arrested and pleaded guilty July 1 to federal charges of defrauding a cannabis company, unlawfully obtaining a COVID-relief business loan of $62,000, and lying to a bank while seeking to buy a $1.5 million vacation home in Big Bear City.
Two days after the FBI released the affidavits, City Councilman Avelino Valencia, who was first elected to the council in 2020, returned $2,500 in campaign donations to FSB Public Affairs, where Flint worked before the FBI investigation was released. Flint, who took a leave of absence from the firm in June, has yet to be named by authorities or charged with a crime.
Flint has represented The Walt Disney Co. and Moreno, the Angels owner. Lobbyist disclosures filed with the city show Flint met with Sidhu three times in September 2020 during the stadium sale negotiations.
Other campaign records show Valencia received $2,500 from Support Our Anaheim Resort Area (SOAR) PAC funded by The Walt Disney Co. on May 11, and $500 from John Carpino, president of the Angels, on May 3.
Those donations were not returned, according to the city’s records. Valencia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Valencia is running against Republican Mike Tardif for State Assembly to replace Democrat Assemblyman Tom Daly in District 68. Daly announced he would not seek a sixth term. Valencia serves as the principal representative of Daly.
Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O’Neil, who assumed mayoral duties following Sidhu’s resignation and is now running for mayor, returned donations to entities affiliated with Ament and Flint on May 21.
Campaign finance records show O’Neil returned $2.200 to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce PAC, $2,200 to Ament’s TA Consulting firm, $1,750 to Carpino, $2,200 to Flint’s public relations firm, and $1,250 to Dennis Kuhl, chairman of the Angels.
O’Neil did not return a request for comment about the donations.
Councilwoman Gloria Ma’ae also returned campaign donations totaling $2,200 to the Anaheim Chamber and another $2,200 to Ament’s consulting firm June 30.
Ma’ae also received $2,200 from the SOAR PAC in January but records indicate she did not return those funds.
Councilman Jose Diaz received $2,100 from the Anaheim Chamber in November and $2,100 from Disney Worldwide Services but records show he did not return the donations. He did not answer a request for comment.
In August, the city council selected a Laguna Niguel-based firm to conduct an independent investigation into all campaign contributions. The audit is expected to detail contributions made to the former mayor or councilors, and any Brown Act open meeting violations or conflicts of interest between donors and city contracts.
Officials estimated the investigation could cost between $1.5 million to $2.5 million.
