John “Jed” York, the owner and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers, has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors in his home state of Ohio after he was arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution over the weekend, according to Ohio state officials and court records.
York, 45, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools Monday morning, after his arrest Sunday by a task force focused on reducing human trafficking, according to Columbiana County Municipal Court records and the Ohio attorney general’s Office.
He was released on $5,000 bail Sunday, court records show, but ordered back to court Monday morning, where he was arraigned on charges of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, both misdemeanors. But the former charge was changed to disorderly conduct in his no contest plea.
York was sentenced to two days in county jail, with credit for the day he had already served, and ordered to pay a $1,150 fine, the court file shows. The order also noted that $160 confiscated in the arrest would be forfeited to MVHTTF, which appears to stand for the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force, which is a regional collaboration of law enforcement with support from the Ohio attorney general’s office, arrested York, according to Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the office. He said the task force is a “very successful” unit for the state, focused on “arresting people seeking to purchase sex.”
The court records also said officials were to return a phone to York, and that York had “completed an online course,” but additional details were not immediately available.
A mug shot from York’s arrest was published by local news site WKBN-27, who said he was arrested in East Palestine, Ohio.
York grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, just north of East Palestine.
He filed a request to have the charges expunged Monday.
The Times attempted to contact the attorney listed in York’s sentencing records but has not yet heard back.
A spokesperson for the 49ers, Corry Rush, declined to comment.
“As this is a legal matter, which has been resolved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time,” Rush said.
