49ers Report Leak: Santa Clara Councilman Pleads Not Guilty

Santa Clara city councilman indictment for leaking a grand jury report criticizing the San Francisco 49ers’ report last year is now facing one felony count of perjury under oath and a misdemeanor count of willful failure to execute the duty.

49ers Report Leak: Santa Clara Councilman Pleads Not Guilty (PHOTO: Yahoo Sport)

49ers Report Leak By Santa Clara Councilman Pleads Not Guilty

Wednesday, Santa Clara city councilman Anthony Becker is accused of leaking a confidential grand jury report criticizing the San Francisco 49ers last 2022 and then lying about it has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Hill reported that the 49ers report titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara City Council” to the team’s former chief spokesperson and a local media outlet in 2022, days ahead of its official release, prosecutors said, prompting the criminal charges.

Becker last month declined to enter a plea when he made his first court appearance stating he plans to look for a lawyer other than Christopher Montoya, his appointed public defender.

However, Montoya was still Becker’s representative when he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Montoya also said that “First-time impressions of a case are often wrong or incomplete.”

Furthermore, this August 2 will be Becker’s next court hearing after his April indictment leads him in facing four years in county jail if convicted on the perjury charge.

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Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara

Becker was indicted for providing the most confidential report to the NFL team’s local news outlet in 2022 and former top spokesperson, days ahead of its official release. Becker also lied to the grand jury about the 49ers’ report.

In the south of San Francisco, the 49ers report plays in Levi’s Stadium in the city of Santa Clara because it is broadly considered home to Silicon Valley.

The stadium is owned by Santa Clara County and leased to the NFL team, but both sides have been disputing for years through ethics complaints and legal issues.

The AP News reported that the football team had supplied money to Becker’s political career by spending at least $3.2 million through independent expenditure committees for his 2020 city council race, which he won, as well as an unsuccessful bid for mayor last year, according to Santa Clara County prosecutors.

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