49ers owner Jed York arrested in Ohio prostitution sting operation
Jed York, principal owner of the San Francisco 49ers, was arrested Sunday after responding to an undercover ad on a prostitution website. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges and was sentenced to two days in jail.
49ers owner arrested after responding to undercover prostitution ad in Ohio
Jed York, the principal owner of the San Francisco 49ers, was arrested on Sunday morning at a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, after responding to an undercover advertisement on what police describe as a "known prostitution website," according to nytimes.com, which cited an incident report from the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force.
York, 45, used the pseudonym "Joe" when he first contacted the undercover officer on Saturday. He messaged again later that day. The officer, posing as a woman, did not respond on either occasion.
At 9:11 a.m. on Sunday, York sent a further text stating he was driving in from Boardman, Ohio, roughly 15 miles north. The two then negotiated a price — $160 for one hour of what the report describes as "full service sexual activity." York was directed to a fictitious lot number at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community.
He arrived in an Avis rental car. Unable to locate the lot number, he returned to the main road, where police stopped him. A test text message confirmed that York's phone had been used to arrange the meeting. Officers seized the device along with the $160 in cash.
York holds an Ohio driver's licence and is originally from the Youngstown, Ohio, area. During the text exchange, he told the undercover officer he had a California phone number because he had previously lived there.
He was booked Sunday morning on two charges: engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools — the latter charge applicable to items such as a mobile phone when used in the commission of a crime. York appeared in court on Monday and pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, both misdemeanours. He was sentenced to two days in jail and fined $1,150. His phone was returned, and the $160 was forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force under an agreement reached by both parties.
The Athletic contacted York's attorney for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
The NFL issued a statement Monday confirming it is reviewing the matter under its personal conduct policy, which applies to all league members including owners. The league did not discipline New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft when he was charged in 2019 with two misdemeanour counts of soliciting prostitution — charges that were subsequently dropped. Late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay received a six-game suspension and a $500,000 fine after pleading guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated in 2014.
York filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle Belluomini York, in May, according to documents from Santa Clara Superior Court. That case remains active.
The York family assumed control of the 49ers in 2000 after then-owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. ceded the franchise to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, following a corruption case in Louisiana. Jed York began working under his father, acting owner John York, in the early 2000s and became the franchise's CEO in 2008. In 2024, he acquired a sufficient share of his mother's stake to become the team's principal owner.
York and 49ers Enterprises are also co-owners of Leeds United in the English Premier League and Rangers F.C. in the Scottish Premiership.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)