By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, 46, was arrested Aug. 23 at a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, after responding to an undercover prostitution advertisement.
- Officers with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force pulled over York’s rented SUV; a search turned up cash and phones linking him to the ad.
- York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools; prosecutors reduced the prostitution charge to disorderly conduct under a plea agreement.
- York pleaded no contest Monday and was sentenced to one day in jail on each misdemeanor count, served concurrently, plus $1,150 in fines; he received credit for time already served.
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is reviewing the incident under its personal conduct policy.
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested last weekend after responding to an undercover prostitution advertisement, according to police body camera footage and a law enforcement incident report.
Officers with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force pulled over York’s rented Volkswagen SUV at a mobile home park near a residence he is known to have in the area. According to the incident report, York, using the alias “Joe,” had agreed to pay a person he believed to be a sex worker $160 after responding to an ad on an undercover prostitution website. A search of the vehicle turned up a wad of $20 bills and two phones; officers linked one of the phones to the number that had responded to the ad.
York, 46, was initially charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors reduced the prostitution charge to disorderly conduct. York pleaded no contest Monday and was sentenced to one day in jail on each misdemeanor count, to run concurrently, receiving credit for time already served. He also paid $1,150 in fines after posting a $5,000 bond.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Wednesday at the league’s owners meetings in Atlanta that the league is reviewing the matter. “It’s being reviewed under the personal conduct policy,” Goodell said. “We’ll do that, and when there’s something to be reported, we’ll talk.” York did not attend the meetings; the 49ers were represented instead by CEO Al Guido.
York has served as the 49ers’ primary owner for the past two years, having taken over from his mother, Denise DeBartolo York. The York-DeBartolo family has controlled the franchise since 1977.