Anthony Becker, once a member of the Santa Clara City Council, has been sentenced to spend 40 days behind bars for perjury after being found guilty of lying to a Civil Grand Jury and unlawfully leaking confidential information. The Hon. Javier Alcala handed down the sentence, which also included a two-year probation period, according to a release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Becker was convicted last December after it came to light that he denied under oath having leaked a draft report that scrutinized his and some colleagues' conduct concerning their relationship with the San Francisco 49ers.
The report in question, dubbed "Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Santa Clara City Council," had been shared by Becker with Rahul Chandhok, then the 49ers’ Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer, and a local media outlet before its scheduled release. This act was not only unethical but blatantly illegal, designed to broadcast the details contained within the confidential document prematurely. "Mr. Becker breached that trust," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, "He undermined the justice system by lying under oath to benefit himself and his political benefactor without a care for the impact his selfish actions would have on the people he was elected to serve," noted the DA's release.
The Civil Grand Jury, responsible for the leaked report, initiated an investigation to unmask the source of the disclosure rapidly. Despite Becker’s denial to Grand Jury members regarding his role in the leak, evidence became unequivocal. Chandhok confirmed under oath that Becker sent him the report before its official disclosure date. Becker also admitted to another council member that he was responsible for leaking the document to the media.
The implications of Becker’s sentencing extend beyond his imminent jail time and probation. His political career, heavily supported by the 49ers with over $3 million poured into his campaigns, ultimately cratered with his lost bid for re-election and a failed mayoral candidate in 2022. This conviction seals his fate, effectively barring him from ever holding elected office again in California.
