Ex-San Francisco 49ers exec charged in alleged $1.4M taxpayer kickback scheme

A former San Francisco 49ers executive and his friend allegedly turned taxpayer-funded construction projects into a $1.4 million kickback scheme — until unpaid businesses started asking questions. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told The California Post that a grand jury was “incensed” as they reviewed the evidence over two weeks, calling the alleged scheme an “extraordinarily serious” example of white-collar crime. Former 49ers exec James Cunningham Mercurio, 55, of Vacaville, is facing numerous criminal charges.