The Big Lead

Declassified FBI files detail investigations of longtime MLB franchise owner: reports

By J.P. Hoornstra

Apr 6, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive Louis (left) and John Angelos attend a pregame ceremony before the game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Apr 6, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles executive Louis (left) and John Angelos attend a pregame ceremony before the game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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The FBI's recent release of previously classified documents unearthed a surprising target of two separate investigations: former Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos.

Angelos, who died in March 2024, bought the Orioles franchise in Oct. 1993 and remained the team's principal owner until January of last year.

Angelos was also a practicing attorney. His role in a pair of high-profile cases in Maryland was what caught the interest of federal investigators.

The first Angelos file, compiled in the 1980s, was tangentially related to his work on behalf of factory workers impacted by asbestos. Via WMAR's Ryan Dickstein:

"Angelos owned a Northeast Baltimore clinic called Medical Resource Management on Harford Road. The clinic operated out of the same building as Angelos' law office and the International Union of Operating Engineers, who bargained on behalf of Bethlehem Steel Company employees. ... Angelos reportedly used the clinic to provide affected union workers chest x-rays. The clinic went onto bill Bethlehem's health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, tens-of-thousands in x-ray fees. Blue Cross paid the initial $27,000 in filed claims, but later discovered the x-rays were conducted without a doctor present, for no medical purpose, other than finding asbestos symptoms. "

- WMAR

Ultimately, according to Dickstein, federal attorneys declined to prosecute the case.

The second investigation took place in the 1990s, after Angelos assumed ownership of the Orioles. He was prosecuting the tobacco industry on behalf of the state of Maryland when the case grew increasingly complicated. Via the Baltimore Banner's Tim Prudente:

"Angelos would potentially have to bring into court the thousands of people who suffered smoking-related diseases to testify. During the 1998 legislative session, state lawmakers wanted to help by amending the rules of evidence to allow the use of statistics about the effects of smoking. Angelos had millions of dollars in legal fees on the line. Senate Republicans opposed the bill and were staging a filibuster. They fought off rounds of votes to end their filibuster until one tobacco-friendly lawmaker flipped, FBI agents wrote. ... The FBI was investigating an allegation that Angelos had bought the vote with campaign donations made through his concessions companies at Camden Yards."

- The Baltimore Banner

Nothing baseball-related to see there, at least not directly. The Orioles enjoyed an immediate resurgence under Angelos, running a top-2 payroll in MLB every year from 1995-98. The late owner was apparently no less aggressive with his legal tactics.

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