Anaheim Mayor, Husband Risk Criminal Charges for Allegedly Lying About Purpose of Qatar Trip

Michael Penn and his wife Mayor Ashleigh Aitken celebrating his appointment as chair of Chapman University’s Board of Governors in February 2023.

By DUANE J. ROBERTS
Editor & Publisher

Emails contained within 344 pages of documents on Mayor Ashleigh Aitken’s embassy‑funded trip to Qatar in May 2025—released to The Anaheim Investigator last year through the public records act—appear to support former Chief of Staff Berenice Ballinas’ allegation that Michael Penn, Aitken’s husband, lied about the reason why he traveled with her. Ballinas said Penn’s later claim that he went on behalf of Chapman University—where he serves on an advisory board—conflicted with the contemporaneous communications she handled during the trip.

Public records show the Qatari Embassy invited Aitken and a “guest,” and every email exchanged between the Embassy, Aitken, and Ballinas consistently treated Penn in that capacity without a single deviation. Taken together, these communications create a clear evidentiary trail that contradicts the couple’s retroactive explanation and raises serious questions about whether the mayor and her spouse knowingly violated California’s gift‑law restrictions—exposure that could quickly escalate into criminal charges if the allegation is indeed proven to be true.

Berenice Ballinas with Ashleigh Aitken in 2020.

In a tort claim filed on September 22nd, Ballinas stated she explicitly warned both Aitken and the Embassy that Penn could not legally accept the trip’s expenses as a “gift” under state law and would be required to reimburse every dollar. She asserted that his airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, and other costs had to be paid separately. Emails reviewed by The Investigator mirror her account, showing the mayor’s husband was treated solely as her “guest” and that he was expected to pay his own way during the entire trip, without exception.

In messages exchanged with the Embassy, Aitken herself not only refers to Penn as “my guest,” but she acknowledges that state law bars him from accepting any of the trip’s financial benefits. “I will need to purchase Michael’s plane ticket, given the California rules on gifts,” the mayor typed in an email dated April 2, 2025. Copies of airline tickets purchased by the Embassy through a travel agency show the couple flew together on the same flights both to and from Qatar, establishing that the mayor’s husband was following her itinerary at every step.

Aitken calling Penn “my guest” and admitting she has to cover his trip.

Not long after the couple returned from Qatar, Ballinas obtained an itemized breakdown of the trip from the Embassy. In an email dated May 28, 2025, they estimated that roughly $16,779.34 represented Penn’s portion of the trip’s expenses. Ballinas then reported the matter to Artin Berjikly, ethics officer for the city, and directly texted the mayor about her concerns. According to Ballinas, she responded contemptuously, stating anybody who asked questions could “bite my ass,” a hostile remark that appeared intended to shut down scrutiny.

The issue resurfaced again on July 5, 2025, when a “constituent” filed a public records act request about the Qatar trip. Ballinas said Aitken grew anxious, especially when pressed on whether she reimbursed the Embassy for $16,779.34, a question she appeared eager to avoid. The mayor replied, “It’s none of the City’s business,” and Ballinas believes no reimbursement occurred based on everything she personally observed. She also rejected the claim Penn was “separately invited” because of Chapman University, saying it did not appear in any of the emails.

Qatari Embassy email tabulating Penn’s portion of trip expenses.

Last month, the Los Angeles Times broke a story that Jeanine Robbins, a local resident, filed a complaint against Mayor Ashleigh Aitken with the Fair Political Practices Commission, alleging the mayor failed to disclose that the Qatari Embassy paid for her husband’s travel. Robbins—who had already filed a public records act request asking for documents about this affair on July 8, 2025—said she found no evidence showing that the couple reimbursed the embassy for Penn‘s expenses, raising concerns that Aitken violated California’s gift‑law restrictions.

In its coverage, The Times noted the FPPC declined to pursue enforcement, accepting a claim Penn traveled under his own embassy invitation. “It appears that Ashleigh Aitken’s spouse attended the trip to Qatar through his own invitation that was received directly from Qatar for their position with Chapman University and not as a guest. Therefore, the cost associated with the trip would not be considered a gift to Aitken …” wrote Kendall L.D. Bonebrake, chief of the agency’s enforcement division, in a September 16th letter. This closed the matter—at least temporarily.

Yet The Times article only complicated things. When the reporter carefully reviewed emails provided to him by Aitken’s campaign showing that Penn was being welcomed to Qatar as a representative of Chapman University, he pointed out the invitation was issued roughly 26 days after the Embassy first invited the mayor and a “guest” to visit that country–a timeline which seemingly contradicts Aitken’s contemporaneous communications and strongly supports Ballinas’ assertion that this justification was essentially manufactured after the fact.

Letter sent to Robbins by the Fair Political Practices Commission.

With the controversy reignited, Robbins told The Investigator she has already filed a new complaint with the FPPC, relying on Ballinas’ tort claim as a basis for reopening the matter. Yet doubts persist about whether this entity can conduct a meaningful investigation. “Some lawmakers and ethics advocates argue the agency is chronically understaffed and underfunded,” a CalMatters reporter wrote in 2024, raising the possibility that a more capable body—such as the state attorney general or even the Orange County Grand Jury—should review the case instead.

The legal exposure is substantial when viewed through mandated reporting requirements. If Aitken accepted embassy‑funded travel for her spouse and then concealed or misreported it, she could face criminal prosecution. State law requires elected officials to disclose such “gifts” on a Form 700, and Gov. Code § 91000 authorizes administrative fines of up to $5,000 per violation. More significantly, these filings are executed under penalty of perjury, meaning a knowingly false disclosure can trigger felony charges carrying up to four years in state prison.

Schedule E of a Form 700 that Aitken filed in April 2026.

Last Friday, The Investigator sent a message to Penn—copied to the mayor at three email addresses she routinely uses—asking whether he possessed any records of contacts or communications with Qatari officials referencing Chapman University. The request also sought agendas, itineraries, briefing materials, talking points, and other documentation that could explain the purpose of his involvement in his wife’s trip, including any previously undisclosed exchanges concerning academic partnerships, official events, or coordinated travel arrangements.

In addition, we asked Penn to produce any emails, notes, summaries, or materials reflecting interactions with educators, academic representatives, or ministry personnel, including documents showing planned or actual meetings that might reveal additional context. Moreover, we invited him to share any other records that could help clarify his role during the visit, emphasizing that any information shedding light about his activities would assist in establishing an accurate account of his participation. Ultimately, he declined to respond to our inquiry.