49ers owner Jed York contacted fictitious prostitution ad 3 times before arrestTom SchadAug 25, 2026, 01:18 PM ETClose
- Tom Schad is a Washington D.C.-based reporter on ESPN’s investigative and enterprise team. Reach him at tom.schad@espn.com.
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York used a pseudonym and responded multiple times to a fictitious ad for a prostitute prior to his arrest in Ohio over the weekend, according to an incident report obtained Tuesday by ESPN.
In the report, officers with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force wrote that York identified himself as a man named “Joe” in response to the ad, which was posted by an undercover officer posing as a woman on a “known prostitution web site.”
York contacted the undercover officer twice Saturday with no response before the undercover officer responded to a third message sent Sunday and offered to meet that morning in East Palestine, Ohio, according to the incident report.
Officers arrested York after he arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location — the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community — with both the phone used to communicate with the fictitious prostitute and $160, which the incident report stated was the agreed-upon fee for one hour of sexual services.
York was charged with two misdemeanors — engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools. Prosecutors later amended the prostitution charge to disorderly conduct as part of a plea agreement.
York ultimately pleaded no contest, paid $1,150 in fines and was sentenced to one day in jail for each charge, with one day already considered to be served.
York’s attorney has not responded to multiple messages from ESPN, while the 49ers mentioned in a statement that they would have no comment “as this is a legal matter, which has been resolved.” An NFL spokesperson mentioned the incident would be reviewed under its personal conduct policy.
The incident has cast a national spotlight on the small, rural town of East Palestine, which is a short drive from York’s hometown of Youngstown. And it has also brought attention to Wheat Hill, which advertises itself on its website as “a clean, quiet and affordable mobile home community” with just 42 lots.
“This news of this arrest in our quiet community is just as shocking to us, as to the rest of you,” states a Facebook post on Wheat Hill’s page Monday. “While we support law enforcement in their efforts … we really have no other knowledge of the situation.”
An unnamed Wheat Hill representative added in the Facebook post that they had been assured by East Palestine Police Department chief Chris Weingart that “they were not using addresses in the park as part of their sting operation.”
The incident report, however, states that York was told to meet the undercover officer at the mobile home park “but he was given a fictitious lot number.”
Messages to Weingart and representatives of the mobile home community Tuesday were not immediately returned.
York has been the majority owner of the Niners since 2024 but has been the team’s chief executive officer since 2008. The Niners have made the Super Bowl three times under York’s leadership.
York also oversaw the building of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The team moved from San Francisco to the new stadium in 2014.
