Topline
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, whose family Forbes estimates is worth $8.5 billion, was arrested on Sunday at a trailer park in Ohio, and pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools.
Forbes estimates Jed York’s family is worth $8.5 billion. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Key Facts
Columbiana County court records show York was initially arrested on charges of possessing criminal tools and engaging in prostitution, but the latter charge was reduced to disorderly conduct.
Multiple outlets reported York was arrested around 9:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday morning at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community in East Palestine, Ohio, with The New York Post noting York “arranged to have sexual activity with [a] female in exchange for $140.00,” citing a police report.
York was fined $1,150 for his charges and was made to pay other court fees, which court records show he has paid.
York was sentenced to two days in jail, one for each charge, but was given one day of credit for time served.
Court records also say his cell phone will be returned to him and $160 that was seized will be forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force following an agreement by both parties.
Forbes has reached out to the 49ers and the NFL for comment.
how has the nfl responded?
Brian McCarthy, chief spokesperson for the NFL, told Forbes in an email the league is “aware of the matter which will be reviewed under the personal conduct policy.” The policy bars conduct that is “illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible, puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others in the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL.” The 49ers told Forbes in a statement that because York’s arrest is “a legal matter, which has been resolved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
forbes valuation
York’s mother Denise and her family are worth an estimated $8.5 billion. The York family owns more than 90% of the 49ers, which Forbes ranked as the fifth-most valuable NFL team in 2025.
key background
The York family has owned the 49ers for decades, after Denise York’s father Edward DeBartolo Sr. bought the team for $13 million in 1977. Jed York became the team’s CEO in 2008, and he became the principal owner in 2024 after purchasing enough shares from his mother. The 49ers have made the Super Bowl three times since York took over as CEO, losing all of those appearances. The team’s last Super Bowl bout was a 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. In his tenure as CEO, York oversaw the construction of the $1.3 billion Levi’s Stadium, which broke ground in 2012 and began operating as the team’s home in 2014.
tangent
Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, was arrested in 2019 on prostitution charges, though the charges were later dropped after a court ruled Kraft’s constitutional rights were violated by police installing surveillance cameras at a Florida spa where he received massages. Prosecutors accused Kraft and others of paying for sex at the spa, but a court ruled they could not introduce the surveillance camera footage as evidence. Kraft was also investigated under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, but the league did not discipline him.
further reading
49ers owner Jed York arrested. Revisit his years with the team (USA Today)