{"id":99964,"date":"2025-09-28T15:29:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T15:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=99964"},"modified":"2025-09-28T15:29:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T15:29:03","slug":"i-cant-believe-it-was-him-49ers-long-time-starter-sentenced-to-20-years-for-human-trafficking-breaking-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=99964","title":{"rendered":"“I Can’t Believe It Was Him” 49ers’ Long-Time Starter Sentenced To 20 Years For Human Trafficking (Breaking News)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The San Francisco 49ers and the rest of the NFL world is in shock over news that surfaced on Saturday.\u00a0 One of the team\u2019s former long-time starters was sentenced to two decades in prison over extremely disturbing charges.<\/p>\n

Here are the full details.<\/p>\n

A long-time starter for the 49ers has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for human trafficking (Breaking News)<\/h3>\n
\""I
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; A San Francisco 49ers helmet sits on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi\u2019s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After being charged with human trafficking and pimping, former NFL player Eric Johnson, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison:<\/p>\n

Johnson and nine other men were sentenced for their ties to a gang known as LOTTO, which is connected to the national Crips and Gangster Disciples. LOTTO stands for \u201cLast One to Take Over Gang.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and one count of pimping. His sentence of 20 years is split between prison and strict probation.<\/p>\n

Johnson and the other men were indicted in 2023, and all nine have now been convicted. Johnson and defendant\u00a0Bobby Downing<\/strong>\u00a0were the final two to be convicted and sentenced; both pleaded guilty. Downing was sentenced to 30 years, with the first 12 years to be served in prison and the remaining years on strict probation. He is also required to register as a sex offender.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\""I
Johnson, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the Georgia attorney general. Gwinnett County Sheriff\u2019s Office \u2013 Via New York Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The case investigation began on May 19, 2022, following a shooting involving the defendants\u00a0Sean Patrick Harvey<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Sean Aaron Curry<\/strong>. Authorities learned that Harvey and Curry had ties to LOTTO after their arrest and began a lengthy investigation. The investigation revealed that Johnson and several other defendants were involved with the trafficking of five female victims, including one young child.<\/p>\n

A press released from the Georgia Office of the Attorney General said, \u201cThis is a criminal network that trafficking a child to make money, and we went after all those involved \u2013 taking down the gang\u2019s leaders, associates and the entire LOTTO operation\u2026 we\u2019re fighting each day to protect our most vulnerable Georgians, and we won\u2019t rest until every predator and violent criminal is held accountable.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\""I
Nov 26, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; General view of the San Francisco 49ers helmet and football in the game against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Levi\u2019s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""I
Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A San Francisco 49ers helmet sits on the team bench during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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The San Francisco 49ers and the rest of the NFL world is in shock over news that surfaced on Saturday.\u00a0 One of the team’s former long-time starters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n"I Can't Believe It Was Him" 49ers' Long-Time Starter Sentenced To 20 Years For Human Trafficking (Breaking News) - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=99964\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""I Can't Believe It Was Him" 49ers' Long-Time Starter Sentenced To 20 Years For Human Trafficking (Breaking News) - 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