49ers kicker David Akers was absent from Monday's practice as he spent the day in Austin, Texas testifying in a federal fraud trial. Akers was brought in as a witness against Triton Financial chief executive Kurt Barton and testified he lost $3.7 million investing with the company from 2007 to 2009.
↵Akers was one of a group of former NFL players who provided funding for various alleged Ponzi schemes totaling $50 million. According to Akers' testimony, he gave Triton $75,000 for a plot of land, and followed that with money for a pair of athletic centers. According to testimony, Barton told the investors the second athletic center had been purchased when in fact it had not.
↵Barton apparently did not make too many exorbitant promises, which made it easier to draw in investors that might otherwise question promises of huge returns. Akers joined Sean Considine and others in testifying against Barton.