NFL Great Joe Montana Contacted by FBI Over San Francisco Corruption Case
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday that former San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana has been contacted by the FBI in connection with a corruption sting.
26 individuals have been indicted in an unsealed criminal complaint in San Francisco with charges that range from drug trafficking to gun running to illegal gambling to even murder-for-hire. Among those arrested, California state Senator Leland Yee.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Yee in late March.
Chow was arrested a few days earlier. Chow reportedly acted as leader of a criminal faction of the San Francisco group called the Hop Sing Tong, which started as a national business association of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century. They also collected money from gambling dens in both Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Montana, 57, was said to have been questioned over an “unspecified business proposition” but the Chronicle also reported that he was already “cleared of any wrongdoing”.
"Nobody has said he did anything wrong," said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Fear that Montana's name would bubble up as part of the FBI's corruption probe is among the reasons U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer plans to issue a protective order barring prosecutors and defense attorneys involved in the corruption case from disclosing certain evidence to the public, including wiretaps and recordings, according to sources.
"It's important that people who are innocently involved are not subjected to undue speculation," Breyer said in open court April 17.
Montana has dabbled in real estate development since retiring from the National Football League in 1995.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
