Disclaimer: Note to the reader, these are my opinions based on all the facts, evidence and the history. These are observations of the many connections that cannot be denied. 

What do all the roles listed in the title have in common? We often feel compelled to choose just one label to define a person—criminal, whistleblower, witness, or patsy. But what if the truth is more complicated? What if the answer is not one of the above, but all of them?

Recent courtroom proceedings have raised an unsettling possibility: could it be that a crime was committed not merely for its own sake, but to expose a larger, more significant wrongdoing? If so, how should we judge the individual at the center of it all?

Individually, many will point to a simple label: convicted criminal. Yet, more than a year after his trial, Anthony Becker continues to appear regularly at city council meetings, refusing to fade from public view. His persistence raises difficult questions that were never fully answered in court. Was he truly a calculating and devious criminal? Or was Becker acting as a whistleblower—or even a witness—attempting to bring larger issues to light? Alternatively, was he positioned as a patsy, taking the fall while more powerful figures, such as Mayor Lisa Gillmor or potential future Mayor Kathy Watanabe and the POA escaped scrutiny?

Our justice system and public opinion alike tend to favor clear categories—guilty or innocent, right or wrong. Yet reality does not always fit neatly into those boxes. Sometimes the person who breaks the law may also be the one who reveals a deeper truth. Sometimes a witness is also a participant. Sometimes a supposed perpetrator is, in fact, being used. Additionally, sometimes a person who breaks the law and the perpetrator may also get away with it because of allies in high places. 

So perhaps the real question is not multiple choice—A, B, C, or D—but whether we are willing to consider E: that human actions, emotions and motives can occupy all these roles at once.

Becker is a _____ 

A criminal? Legally, yes. The courts convicted Becker, and due process, at least procedurally, was carried out. In America, that conviction now follows him permanently. A stain on his record that cannot be removed. Yes his case is on appeal but it could take years. Americans also understand that justice is not always perfect, impartial, or full. However, anyone who sat through the trial and watched every moment unfold would likely come away with deeper questions about how our system truly works. Becker is now, unquestionably, a convicted criminal. But at what cost, and under what circumstances? Before the trial even began, the judge pushed both the District Attorney and the defense to reach a resolution rather than proceed to trial. The District Attorney rejected lower plea options, and the case moved forward. What followed was, for many observers, a long and often tedious proceeding — but one filled with revealing moments. Throughout the trial, one name seemed almost untouchable: Lisa Gillmor. Whenever testimony or arguments appeared to suggest she was connected to the political hostility surrounding the case and was the first suspect due to the reports bias, objections quickly followed and the court often shut the discussion down. To many watching, it created the impression that certain lines of inquiry were effectively off-limits. That perception matters. The justice system depends not only on rules and verdicts, but also on public confidence that all relevant facts can be openly examined. When observers believe political dynamics are being shielded from scrutiny, trust erodes — regardless of the final outcome. There is also the unresolved issue of the civil grand jury and its treatment of Becker and Councilmembers Jain, Park, Chahal and Hardy. inaccurate or misleading claims were made in those reports, where is the accountability? Due process should apply not only in criminal courtrooms, but also in public investigations that can permanently damage reputations before any trial ever begins. Essentially, the justice system prosecuted and convicted one over a lie that was built upon another lie the courts released. Again, the opinion of one and probably many. None of this erases the conviction. None of it changes the legal reality Becker now faces. When you compare to Dominic Caserta and his fallout and disappearance, he at least won his case and has a pension and retirement. Becker on the other hand has nothing, the Council role was his job and career as his Public Defender Chistopher Montoya stated. Yet all this does raise a larger and more uncomfortable question: did the system merely produce a verdict, or did it truly produce justice. 

A Whistleblower?—for government lies, corruption and legal weaponization? As Richard Dawson would, the “survey says yes”. Becker’s appeal’s defense is solely, “Selective Prosecution” and some other constitutional rights issues. Yet, Why is he not fighting more? There is plenty more to fight on in appeal based on the trial. During the trial it was brought up by the defense team that the grand jury report was factually wrong and full of lies that defamed Becker and others and were explaining what sounded like whistleblower factors.  During the trial, Judge Alcala rejected anything about the report saying, “it could be factually full of lies or the best thing ever, it doesn’t matter and is irrelevant to the charges at hand”. That was disturbing to know that if the government was wrong then it doesn’t matter if the government lied? Shortly around the same time both former fired and disgraced City Attorney and City Manager claimed to be whistleblowers. Additionally there was mention of some sort of an Attorney-client privilege defense motion that was under seal. No one knows what that meant. Was Becker truly whistleblowing the corruption through the city council, the grand jury and the district attorney’s office? If you look at Becker’s recent arrival at city council meetings and his lengthy multiple 10 plus minute public presentations, it truly sounds like a whistleblower and a witness. Becker’s presence and public testimony before the City Council — demanding investigations into World Cup disclosures involving Mayor Gillmor and accusing staff of acting with questionable motives which is deeply damaging to the credibility of the City Manager and senior staff. If, as Becker alleged, officials like the City Manager feared Gillmor would lie yet still refused to investigate her conduct, that contradiction alone warrants further scrutiny and a genuine independent review, potentially by a truly impartial civil grand jury. 

A Witness?— to the greater crimes at play in the city? Absolutely. Becker, Councilmembers Kevin Park, Suds Jain, Karen Hardy, Raj Chahal and former Councilmembers Jamie Matthews, Dominic Caserta, are all witnesses to the greater crimes occurring in the city. Whistleblowing and witnesses go hand in hand in this situation.  The Gillmor Machine often accuses the 49ers, and those listed above of corruption, racketeering and brown act violations. However, the projection of Gillmor is she seems to operate under a racketeering type of operation, pay to play or scratch each other’s backs. Silence a witness then call him a liar. Becker is a convicted perjurer now—”a liar” as James Rowen yells out in public presentations. However, Becker must know too much or not enough. Becker came with a flurry of accusations and revelations like Mayor Gillmor’s ethics consultant who was never mentioned by name but accuses them of using intravenous drugs with his friend. While not naming him, it seems obvious it is the city’s former ethics consultant turned Gillmor ally Tom Shanks. Becker also alleges that Evan Low discussed and disclosed his personal drug use to him which included his use of ketamine, and told Becker that his boyfriend, a pharmacist, could obtain virtually any drug Becker wanted — claims Becker characterizes as potential prescription pad abuse, ignored by the District Attorney.  According to Becker, these alleged statements are especially troubling given Low’s support for legislation related both to drug policy reform like decriminalizing ketamine use etc and stricter controls on prescription abuse, creating what Becker argues is a direct contradiction between Low’s public policy positions and his alleged private conduct. Becker further claims that his husband and Patrick Ahrens — Low’s former chief of staff now Assemblymember — also witnessed portions of these conversations.  Even James Rowen publicly called in to discuss Becker’s allegations involving ketamine and meth use, while criticizing Becker for refusing to identify “Tom Shanks” by name, further amplifying the controversy surrounding the accusations and the broader political fallout. Do they protest too much? 

A patsy?— that takes the fall for the crimes of Gillmor and Watanabe and the POA? Absolutely he is, it is pretty obvious in the Gillmor Machine behavior. They consider Becker a criminal for what he is convicted of, yet their loyal leader Mayor Gillmor and Kathy Watanabe and the POA get a pass for the same thing they are accused of and the evidence that points to their guilt. Just like many feel that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy for a bigger conspiracy to assassinate former great president JFK—patsy is nothing new. In most simplest terms it is the Fall guy. Frame him as the sole crime bearer. If many remember, the media came out with the Gillmor narrative that Becker tried to frame the Mayor based on sordid testimonies. At the same time Gillmor was demanding Becker’s resignation because of the “mark he is leaving on the city”.  Those events clearly signaled Gillmor’s projection of guilt to many including me. Nearly 4 years later with everything we have learned in Becker’s trial, his indictment, and other evidence related to the 2022 Grand Jury Report incident, it is shocking but not surprising that nothing has happened to Mayor Gillmor, Kathy Watanabe, Jude Barry or the Santa Clara POA. Get more to that later. Becker on council was the perfect patsy, he was either easily deceived, manipulated or swindled and then forced to take responsibility for a crime or failure he didn’t commit. His appeal and adamant stance as remaining innocent continue to make myself and others ponder if that was exactly what the District Attorney forced Becker into accepting was the responsibility for a crime he may have committed or one that someone bigger committed. Becker is what current City Clerk Bob O’Keefe called Becker in 2022 “the lowest hanging fruit”. 

The Return of the Fallen

Anthony Becker’s return to Santa Clara City Council meetings has undoubtedly raised questions — especially about his motives. It was almost like seeing a ghost, or someone rising from the political dead. In modern Santa Clara politics, those pushed out by the Gillmor Machine rarely return to council chambers in any meaningful way. Not Dominic Caserta. Not Jamie Matthews. Not even Rod Diridon Jr.. Once politically exiled, they largely disappeared from public council life altogether. There are exceptions, of course. Former Councilmember Teresa O’Neill still appears from time to time, as does former Councilmember Will Kennedy, though both have generally been viewed as friendly to the Gillmor establishment. In contrast, former Councilmembers outside that orbit rarely reappear publicly at City Hall. Ironically, disgraced former city attorneys seem more likely to return than former political rivals.

Becker, meanwhile, never fully told his side of the story publicly. From his indictment in spring 2023 through his conviction shortly before Christmas 2024, there was near total silence from him outside the courtroom. Even after being sentenced to serve time through the Sheriff’s Department and filing an appeal while continuing to maintain his innocence, Becker largely stayed out of public view. Then, on a February night in 2026, former Councilmember and convicted felon Anthony Becker walked back into council chambers and delivered a 12-minute public testimony that became only the beginning of a broader campaign of appearances and allegations at subsequent meetings. Becker returned swinging, opening what some described as a political Pandora’s box. He made explosive allegations ranging from claims that the City Manager privately said Mayor Gillmor would just lie during the investigation into the World Cup leak controversy and with that being the reason not to look into her, to accusations involving an ethics advisor connected to Mayor Lisa Gillmor allegedly using methamphetamine while advocating for jail time at Becker’s sentencing. Becker also publicly claimed former Assemblymember Evan Low discussed ketamine use and suggested his pharmacist boyfriend could obtain “anything he wanted.” Whether credible, exaggerated, retaliatory, or something in between, Becker’s statements immediately reignited political tensions at City Hall. And according to those following the saga closely, what he revealed in those meetings was only the tip of the iceberg.

How we got here

It has been nearly four years since the 2022 Civil Grand Jury report and the 2022 mayoral election in Santa Clara — one of the closest elections in the city’s history. Anthony Becker fell short by only several hundred votes, raising ongoing questions about how different the city’s political landscape might have looked had he prevailed on election night.

Had Becker won, the political fallout could have been immediate and intense. Observers have long debated how the “Gillmor machine” and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office might have responded to a Mayor-Elect Becker. Some speculate that efforts to investigate or politically isolate Becker would have accelerated even further, potentially creating an unprecedented crisis for the city at the very beginning of a new administration. Santa Clara could have faced a historic political confrontation: a newly elected mayor governing under the shadow of possible indictments, public pressure campaigns, and calls for resignation almost immediately after taking office. This is where the investigation into the leak of the grand jury report comes into play and why it was so important. It had multiple purposes. Investigate the “49er 5”, investigate the 49ers, investigate all political opponents. 

The investigation into the Civil Grand Jury report leak began on October 17, 2022, just one week after Santa Clara Police Chief Pat Nikolai sent a letter to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen asking him to investigate the councilmembers named in the report. It took only six days for Jeff Rosen to launch an investigation following the police chief’s request — arguably, to many, ultimately Gillmor’s request delivered through a badge to give more weight — and, presumably, the Civil Grand Jury’s concerns, which can be clearly viewed as having ties to the Gillmor political establishment.  God created the heavens, the earth, and all living things in six days. Other alleged city council violations and controversies can sit ignored for months, even years, yet Rosen somehow found the urgency and time to get this investigation moving in the very same span it took God to create the world. Did the District Attorney rest on the seventh day? To many the speed of the investigation raised obvious questions. Was it simply an extraordinary coincidence? Was it political pressure? A favor to the Gillmor machine? Or were Becker’s opponents furious that what they believed would be an “October Surprise” — the Civil Grand Jury report itself — had been exposed that it was a politically motivated and biased attack? From that perspective, attention quickly shifted away from the contents and credibility of the report and toward the leak itself, redirecting public outrage while shielding those who may have known about the report beforehand or benefited politically from its release. Nearly four years later, the timing and aggressiveness of the investigation still leave many in Santa Clara wondering whether justice was pursued evenly — or politically.

Comments posted on Robert Haugh’s blog in the period following the 2022 election revealed a recurring theme: that the Civil Grand Jury had the power to remove elected officials from office if it believed there was sufficient evidence they leaked the confidential report. The Civil Grand Jury itself made similar references during the leak investigation proceedings, emphasizing that sharing or disclosing the report before publication could constitute a direct violation of official duties and potentially justify removal from office. This increasingly appeared to be the preferred mechanism for the Gillmor Machine: not simply defeating Anthony Becker politically, but potentially disqualifying or removing him altogether. The reasoning, in their view, came down to two scenarios. First, if Becker had ultimately won the mayor’s race, there was concern among Gillmor allies that he would need to be disqualified or removed before the December 2022 swearing-in. Such an outcome could have thrown the election into chaos, potentially opening the door for arguments that the election should be redone or that then-Mayor Lisa Gillmor should continue serving. Second, even with Gillmor winning reelection, Becker remaining on the City Council after coming that close to winning the mayor’s office was viewed as a long-term political threat. Further comments on Haugh’s blog during the November 2022 vote-counting period reflected fears among anti-Becker voices that he could remain politically viable, win reelection to council in 2024, and become the frontrunner for mayor in 2026. As some commenters bluntly framed it: “You have to stop him from becoming mayor in 2026, let alone 2022.” The nearly 48–49% of the vote Becker received represented a major warning sign for the Gillmor Machine, especially if Kathy Watanabe was viewed as the preferred successor once Gillmor termed out. From that perspective, if the grand jury or District Attorney could prove Becker — or any Councilmembers outside the Gillmor-Watanabe bloc — had leaked the report, removal from office would create an immediate vacancy on the council, a vacancy that would have shifted the balance of power at City Hall in ways that ultimately benefited Gillmor and her allies. Today, it is evident of that. 

To achieve all of this, Gillmor needed to plant the seeds while also appearing to comply with authorities. Political consultant Jude Barry and Santa Clara POA president Jeremy Schmidt both testified in November 2022 — after the election, after Becker had conceded the mayoral race to Gillmor, and before Becker himself testified before the civil grand jury — that they believed Anthony Becker leaked the report. Barry described Becker as “aggressive” in his political positions, portraying him as a political threat to both Barry’s influence and Gillmor’s power. At the same time, Schmidt relied on his badge and claimed “detective skills” as a police officer to single out Becker, one of the “49er 5,” as the source of the leak. That testimony also carried a deeper political context in 2026 when Becker later stated during a city council meeting that Schmidt had texted him, “you want to play games we can play games,” after Becker declined the POA’s endorsement in September 2022 because he refused to pledge support for protecting the elected police chief. Viewed in that context, Schmidt’s later efforts to identify Becker as the leaker raise questions about whether those accusations were driven by evidence, politics, retaliation, or some combination of all three. The statements by Barry and Schmidt also served to deflect attention from their own involvement in possessing a leaked “confidential document” and in creating an election-timed political website tied to that document. Text messages exchanged between Barry and Schmidt included the remark, “Does this change the plans,” a statement that raises obvious questions about whether they had prior knowledge of the report before it became public. Barry himself testified that he had heard “rumors” and “chatter” of a civil grand jury investigation, just as Schmidt claimed he had. Their communications, however, invite deeper scrutiny into their motives and what they actually knew. All the while, Gillmor testified under oath and outwardly complied with investigators and authorities.

It looks as if Mayor Gillmor with the assistance of the District Attorney’s office and the Civil Grand Jury had successfully weaponized a law to protect the report by making it confidential and unable to argue its contents. This is a classic page from the Gillmor playbook by using laws basically anything legal, the city charter and venues like closed session and the civil grand jury to get what she wants by weaponizing its ability to discuss. For Gillmor it is a confidentiality protected political weapon and for others it is a gag order. We can see this with Anthony Becker’s numerous requests at recent city council meetings into an investigation into information he feels Gillmor leaked from a closed session about the World Cup. We understand this further through Gillmor’s own testimonies to the 2022 Civil Grand Jury investigation into the leak. Gillmor knew how reports came out, how grand juries operated, when ballots arrived in mailboxes, and even the voting trends in the city of Santa Clara. She stated all of this. These statements prove truly transparent and accurate for Gillmor and that she clearly has significant influence on civil grand juries as I have stated before with 1987, 1991, 2016, 2022, 2024 grand jury reports and most likely another in 2026. Gillmor always would give hints to her motives, plans, and moves. In 2022 before any grand jury report ever was leaked or in a public domain, the same in 2024, Gillmor would always say that she “hopes the grand jury is reviewing” this or that and that she hopes “it gets their attention”. Gillmor is the worst at keeping secrets, literally and figuratively.  She always has to drop those subtle hints like she’s peering into a crystal ball and already knows what’s coming . Gillmor recently recalled at a City Council meeting that, as a Parks and Recreation commissioner in 1987, she felt ignored and frustrated by the council. She interviewed for the 1987 grand jury report critical of the Santa Clara golf club and City Council, which she opposed. Some believe those events later motivated former Councilmember Sue Lasher, an ally of her father Gary Gillmor and a member of the 1987 council, to run against Lisa in 1996. 

Gillmor in 2022 admitted she was emailing the confidential grand jury to report to her personal email then printed it out because she is “old school” and then denied leaking it. Gillmor conveniently damaged her phone upon searching. Shortly after her testimonies her search history showed contempt of court, ceiling of a misdemeanor and texts to Jude Barry telling him to “check his email”.  Gillmor even deleted text messages with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Lance Williams. Shortly a day later the Chronicle article shows up as well as the website from the POA with pictures of a printed grand jury report and strategically highlighted sections. These actions by the Mayor to me and others showed a guilty conscience of a cover up. Kathy Watanabe, Councilmember at the time admitted she shared it with her husband which constitutes a leak and a violation of her duty.  However Gillmor and Watanabe have supposedly done no wrong, and never charged, only Becker was and convicted as a result. Gillmor and her allies remain unscathed and there remains one mystery unsolved which is who leaked the grand jury report from the city council to the San Francisco Chronicle? This is the only hole in Gillmor’s perfect plan to get Becker out. The San Francisco Chronicle leak is a loose end. Yet, that loose end is ok because District Attorney Jeff Rosen already stated following the Becker trial that he won’t do anything about that leak. Gillmor though cannot remove the blood she has shed from this vendetta because it looks too obvious she was the one who leaked to the Chronicle, and now Becker is demanding investigations into the same type of information leaked to the Chronicle. A repeating pattern. In 2022 they wanted to know the leak, not by Gillmor but by who was on the anti-Gillmor side. There was no attention paid by the district attorney’s office to Gillmor’s political blogger Robert Haugh who “reported” multiple times weeks before with topics of the Grand Jury Report before its “release”. There were only concerns about the Silicon Valley Voice and San Jose Spotlight anti-Gillmor papers.  Now, no one cares who leaks anything and apparently does nothing about it.  So is this a system built on lies like the grand jury reports? Think about it, during that leak period and after the only ones running ads, mailers, and websites about the grand jury report was Gillmor, Related and the POA.  They were the only ones to benefit and profit from the election timed report. 

Repeated like a dead horse, the report itself was consistently trashed the entire time by certain media and Councilmembers that don’t bow to Gillmor. The same with the second report and third report in 2024. Councilmembers pushed back multiple times, even city staff members. However, that didn’t matter when you had Mayor Gillmor’s Special Advisor Kirk Vartan, “ethics expert” Tom Shanks all saying that this council will not accept the “results and findings” and that the council is in denial. As backup the San Francisco Chronicle relayed the same messaging. These individuals and publications really tried to force others into accepting something that was not true all while they acted like the beacons for truth, justice and the American way. They would beat this drum over and over. Even when the anti-Gillmor Councilmembers corrected the inaccurate facts of the report they were accused of attacking the civil grand jury.  The Grand Jury didn’t fix anything and stood by their work. The indictment, the trial and conviction of Anthony Becker helped solidify their grand jury report themes and narratives. Looking back to now it is clear to many that they used the law, they weaponized the grand jury to carry out their lie, and their lust for power.  It was aggressively applied through legal means. They then used the Becker saga to try and bring down Councilmember Suds Jain as a protector of a “criminal” and will continue to use it against others on this city council. 

Becker’s home and property was searched twice, his husband investigated and both are reported that they still cannot get their belongings back. Becker’s mother who had breast cancer testified and interrogated in her own son’s indictment. His family, his friends and people like David Andre, a former CVB employee that Gillmor fired, his campaign assistant Bruno Kirschbaum who later turned against Becker at his sentencing and supporter John McLemore who they tried to insinuate had done something wrong. They went after everyone tied to Becker. Yet on the other hand, never anyone from Gillmor’s family–her daughter who ran her 2022 Mayor campaign, Gillmor’s husband, Gillmor’s father, nor Jude Barry’s or the POA president Jeremy Schmidt searched or questioned. No action or interrogations after admitting they leaked it with each other.  Kathy Watanabe never had her home searched or other family, friends or political ties questioned. Kathy’s husband was questioned and lied to authorities that Kathy didn’t share the report with him and he didn’t read it. He later admitted she did. No consequences. 

The targets in the Grand Jury investigation into the leak were clear from the start: the 49ers and the “49er Five,” based on Chief Pat Nikolai’s letter to the District Attorney. From the indictment through trial, it appeared nearly everyone connected to the 49ers was called in. Related Companies, the POA etc not so much. Rahul Chandok — someone Gillmor despised — became suspect zero. Having Chandok testify about the leak and its origins was exactly what Gillmor wanted. The San Francisco Chronicle even quoted former Judge Quintin Kopp, an “expert on civil grand juries”, suggesting the 49ers’ research into jurors could create “criminal legal jeopardy.” This was the same former judge Kopp that Becker and this paper say privately warned Becker about future charges before any report was ever released. When called to testify, Chandok pleaded the Fifth. The District Attorney challenged it successfully, forcing him to testify under an immunity deal. Chandok had already appealed before the immunity deal, arguing his Fifth Amendment rights were violated, and it was ultimately found the District Attorney had improperly compelled his testimony. Chandhok’s fifth amendment was violated, but by then the immunity deal remained in place. At trial, when Becker’s public defender asked whether Rahul had been threatened with charges, Chandok falsely said no. In reality, he faced potential legal exposure if he refused to cooperate with the District Attorney’s office before invoking the Fifth. In the end, Chandok delivered exactly what the District Attorney wanted — and ultimately what Gillmor wanted.

On the City Council, Becker and Kevin Park faced the most scrutiny, including multiple searches and seizures. Despite the broader evidence and context, they remained the primary focus. Councilmember Suds Jain was ultimately used as a weapon to destabilize the council and damage Becker. Jain’s testimony did Becker no favors. He struggled to define what constituted a leak and repeatedly attempted to explain broader issues, only to be shut down by District Attorney objections and the judge’s rulings. At one point, the District Attorney cornered Jain with threats of perjury because parts of his testimony conflicted with statements tied to Becker’s original indictment. Under pressure and without his attorney present, Jain backed down and reaffirmed his earlier statements. For Gillmor and the District Attorney, Jain became key to taking down Becker. In the process, Jain himself became a target and was later subjected to a recall effort that thankfully failed.

Again, over and over no one tied to the POA, Related Companies, or Gillmor’s side was subpoenaed or pursued over the leak the way the 49ers and anti-Gillmor councilmembers were. Gillmor was never pursued, Watanabe was never charged, Jude Barry was barely touched, the POA received a pass, and Related was never meaningfully investigated. The investigation, indictment, and trial became a way to expose the 49ers’ political playbook, giving Gillmor insight into her opponents’ strategies while also targeting Becker and other council enemies for public embarrassment. Ultimately, it was about taking out both the 49ers organization and anti-Gillmor councilmembers. Before Becker’s indictment, the 49ers had already purged Rahul Chandok and others. Becker was then convicted and removed from the council. To Gillmor, it was one down, four to go.

However when you look at the recent issues with city transparency and records, this actually ties together because of what Becker did in the past before City Council. It is almost like they took what they were good at and shoved it in Becker’s face. When Becker used the Gillmor playbook in 2018 while running for Mayor the first time, Becker filed a complaint with the Civil Grand Jury surrounding Sam Singer contracts and whether the city violated laws surrounding how it awarded contracts. In the complaint, Becker alleged that the City agreed to spend up to $200,000 to hire spin doctor Sam Singer to help with public affairs for the city itself and the stadium authority. $100,000 each. Becker alleged that the contracts were deliberately set up separately to circumvent a rule that council has to approve anything over $100,000 and that the split was to avoid the votes of council. Becker also claimed that the timing was incredibly dubious as the City at the time stated to the public that Sam Singer was hired to manage the fallout of former Councilmember Dominic Caserta’s resignation, yet Becker identified that the contract was dated three months before the Caserta scandal was public. The dates for the contracts were February 14 and 15th marked “rush” while the Caserta scandal and fallout didn’t start till May 2018.  The date Becker filed the complaint to the Grand Jury was October 3rd, 2018. Coincidentally, 4 years later on October 5th, 2022 Becker is the subject of a Grand Jury Report of false accusations that later factored into his indictment and conviction. This looks a lot like it was payback. 

-Roger Kint