Councilman pleads not responsible to perjury in 49ers report leak
A Silicon Valley metropolis councilman accused of leaking a grand jury report criticizing the San Francisco 49ers’ outsize political affect after which mendacity in regards to the leak has pleaded not responsible
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Silicon Valley metropolis councilman accused of leaking a confidential grand jury report criticizing the San Francisco 49ers’ outsize political affect after which mendacity in regards to the leak pleaded not responsible Wednesday.
Santa Clara Metropolis Councilmember Anthony Becker is charged with one felony depend of perjury below oath and likewise a misdemeanor depend of willful failure to carry out obligation.
He had declined to enter a plea when he made his first courtroom look final month, saying he needed to discover a lawyer aside from Christopher Montoya, his appointed public defender.
Becker was nonetheless being represented by Montoya when he pleaded not responsible Wednesday, nonetheless, the Bay Space Information Group reported.
“First-time impressions of a case are sometimes flawed or incomplete,” Montoya advised reporters afterward.
Jason Malinsky, a deputy district lawyer, mentioned after the listening to that the victims are the group.
Becker, whose subsequent courtroom date is Aug. 2, was indicted in April and faces 4 years in county jail if convicted on the perjury cost.
He’s accused of offering the key report back to the NFL group’s former high spokesperson and an area information outlet in 2022, days forward of its official launch, after which mendacity to the grand jury about it. The report, titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara Metropolis Council,” alleged that councilmembers frequently voted “in a fashion that’s favorable to the 49ers.”
The 49ers play in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of San Francisco. Santa Clara owns the stadium and leases it to the group, and the 2 sides have feuded for years via ethics complaints and authorized disputes.
Santa Clara County prosecutors mentioned the group has bankrolled Becker’s political profession by spending at the very least $3.2 million via unbiased expenditure committees for his 2020 metropolis council race, which he received, in addition to an unsuccessful bid for mayor final yr.
