49ers Owner Jed York Pleads No Contest After Prostitution Charge Reduced in Ohio

San Francisco 49ers principal owner Jed York pleaded no contest Monday to two misdemeanor charges in Ohio after prosecutors reduced an original charge of engaging in prostitution to disorderly conduct following his weekend arrest.

York, 46, pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools in Columbiana County. He was sentenced to one day in jail on each count, with the sentences running at the same time, and received credit for the day he had already spent in custody. York was also fined a total of $1,150 and was ordered to complete an online course.

Under Ohio law, a no contest plea is different from a guilty plea. It is not an admission of guilt, but it admits the truth of the facts alleged in the charge for purposes of resolving the criminal case. The court can then enter a judgment and impose a sentence, while the plea generally cannot be used as an admission against the person in a later civil or criminal case.

The charges stemmed from York's arrest Sunday at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community in East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania border. Court documents allege York responded to an online advertisement and arranged to pay a woman $140 in exchange for sexual activity. The East Palestine Police Department assisted the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force with the operation, although York was not charged with human trafficking.

York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Prosecutors amended the prostitution count to disorderly conduct before Monday's plea, so his convictions do not include engaging in prostitution. He pleaded no contest to the amended disorderly conduct count and the remaining criminal tools charge.

Ohio's engaging in prostitution law covers agreements to exchange something of value for sexual activity. The statute prohibits recklessly inducing, enticing or procuring another person to engage in sexual activity for hire and defines that activity to include an explicit or implicit agreement involving payment or something else of value. A standard violation is a first degree misdemeanor.

The law does not require prosecutors to allege that the sexual activity was completed before a charge can be filed. The agreement itself can fall within the statute when the other required elements are present. York did not enter a plea to that offense because prosecutors changed the charge to disorderly conduct before the case was resolved.

The second charge, possessing criminal tools, also carries a broader meaning under Ohio law than its name may suggest. A criminal tool does not have to be a weapon, lock pick or device designed specifically for illegal activity. Ohio law covers a substance, device, instrument or other item when a person possesses or controls it with the purpose of using it criminally.

Authorities seized a cellphone and $160 during York's arrest. Court records later ordered the phone returned to him, while the $160 was forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force as part of the resolution. The available records do not identify the specific item prosecutors relied on for the criminal tools charge.

York became principal owner of the 49ers in 2024 after years overseeing the franchise's operations. His criminal case could also be reviewed separately under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, which applies to owners as well as players, coaches and other league personnel. NFL rules allow discipline following a criminal case and do not require a criminal conviction before the league determines that its conduct policy has been violated. The NFL had not publicly announced any disciplinary action against York as of Monday.

Court records also show that a request to expunge York's convictions has been filed. His jail sentence was satisfied through credit for the day already served, and the disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools charges were resolved with Monday's no contest pleas and sentencing.