San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in East Palestine, Ohio, following a human trafficking task force sting operation after reaching out to an undercover prostitution advertisement multiple times under a false name, according to newly released police documents.
The arrest sent immediate shockwaves through the NFL while disrupting the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason preparations. Police documents obtained from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force reveal that the team owner spent roughly 24 hours contacting a fictitious online advertisement, using the pseudonym “Joe” to arrange a meeting.
CEO Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on November 30, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The digital exchange began on a Saturday and extended into Sunday morning. Investigators noted that York first messaged the female ad creator on Saturday, indicating his name was Joe and expressing a desire to visit. After initial messages went unanswered, he followed up twice more.
Jed York Sought Prostitute While Using Fake Name ‘Joe
At 9:11 a.m. Sunday, York messaged again to ask if the woman was free and stated he was driving in from Boardman, Ohio, approximately 25 minutes away. After inquiring about pricing, he agreed to a $160 rate for full-service sexual activity, with unprotected sex costing $20 more, according to police incident records.
York then allegedly drove an Avis rental car to the mobile home park in East Palestine after being given a fake lot number there, and was arrested by police with $160 in cash on his person.
Marked units stopped and arrested York at 9:35 a.m. shortly after his arrival at the mobile home park. Officers seized the exact cash amount he brought, and a confirmatory test text to his phone matched the digits used throughout the sting.
Legal proceedings moved swiftly following the weekend operation. York pleaded no contest on Monday to reduced charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, securing a plea agreement that downgraded the initial prostitution count, as detailed in reports covering the court outcome.
Jed York's Fake Name And Texts Revealed In New
A judge ordered him to pay $1,150 in fines and sentenced him to a two-day jail sentence, though one day was credited for time already served. The incident unfolded just months after York filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle Belluomini, whom he married in 2011 and has two children with.
The 49ers addressed the arrest through a brief statement acknowledging that the legal matter had been resolved while declining further public comment. Meanwhile, the NFL confirmed an ongoing review under its personal conduct policy—a mechanism previously triggered by similar off-field incidents involving league owners, such as Robert Kraft’s 2019 solicitation charges, which were later dropped.
“From a football standpoint, it has no effect on us,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday. “I mean, as far as what we do day to day, what we talk about and [it] hasn’t been mentioned in a meeting today, it doesn’t have to do with what happens on the field.”
Shanahan emphasized that the distraction remains outside the locker room doors as the team navigates off-field hurdles, which included Shanahan’s own July head-on vehicle collision where he suffered lacerations, fractures, and a concussion while taking public responsibility. York became the 49ers CEO in 2008 and their principal owner by 2024 after purchasing enough shares from his mother. Forbes estimates York’s mother Denise and her family’s net worth at $8.5 billion, owning a majority of the 49ers, which ranked No. 5 on Forbes’ 2025 list of the NFL’s most valuable teams. San Francisco closes out its preseason Thursday against the Raiders before opening the regular season against the Rams in Australia on Sept. 10.
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