SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The former lobbyist for the San Francisco 49ers has testified that a Silicon Valley alderman illegally leaked a confidential report critical of the team’s political influence, it was reported Friday.
Rahul Chandhok told a criminal grand jury on March 21 that Santa Clara City Councilman Anthony Becker digitally sent him the report, which was drawn up by a civil grand jury last October, the San Francisco Chronicle. reported after reviewing a transcript of his testimony.
Prosecutors accuse Becker of providing the secret report to Chandhok and a local news outlet before its official release and then lying to a grand jury about it.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of perjury under oath and one count of willful dereliction of duty. He could face up to four years in state prison if convicted.
The 49ers play at 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 team, and the two sides have clashed for years through ethical complaints and legal disputes.
Santa Clara County prosecutors said the football team has funded Becker’s political career by investing at least $3.2 million through independent expenditure committees for his 2020 City Council run and a failed mayoral bid last year.
The civil grand jury report, titled “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara City Council,” alleged that aldermen regularly voted “in a manner favorable to the 49ers.”
In his testimony, Chandhok said Becker sent him a copy of the report four days before it was made public and a month before the mayoral election, The Chronicle said.
Chandhok said he then began working to mitigate the impact of the report.
After news coverage of the report, Chandhok attacked it as “a shocking political hatchet job” in a statement that also alleged that the civilian grand juries issuing it were corrupt and disclosed where they lived and they adored, said The Chronicle.
“The 49ers are committed to being a positive and contributing member of our community,” the team said in a statement Friday. “As the transcripts are related to an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
