A fake NFL star was arrested after allegedly scamming 26 women out of nearly £1m to fund a lavish lifestyle of supercars and luxury gear
A fake NFL star allegedly duped 26 women out of nearly $1.3 million (£961,000) to bankroll a glamorous lifestyle of supercars and designer clothes, federal prosecutors claim. Daejon Love is accused of posing as a top American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers on social media, using the fictional athletic career to fleece unsuspecting victims.
However, federal authorities say Love has never played a single down in the NFL. The FBI recently arrested Love alongside his alleged 18-year-old accomplice, Taylor Chan, charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
Prosecutors claim Chan was introduced to victims as Love’s high-flying investment adviser. The duo reportedly used the bogus gridiron identity to trick victims into handing over huge sums for fake investment schemes.
Bay Area luxury business owner Kazi Arman Islam revealed he rented high-end Lamborghinis and Mercedes vehicles to Love, who spun elaborate tales about his athletic future.
According to NBC News, Love even claimed his cousin Julian Love had just won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, and teased an impending move to the Los Angeles Chargers.
In a voice memo sent last February, Love reportedly said: “The Chargers, they’ve been talking to me like all weekend and I might wanna see what’s up with them. If so, I wanna be in something nice man, probably the Lambo again.”
Islam, who is currently suing Love for an unpaid $9,383 balance on a Lamborghini rental, said: “This man is very, very convincing.”
To make his story believable, Love is said to have routinely carried an authentic $1,160 San Francisco 49ers helmet into local businesses.
Steve Adams, vice president of helmet supplier Green Gridiron, confessed the disguise was remarkably convincing.
He said: “If I saw this I probably would have gotten fooled and I’m in the industry. This is a very good representation of what a, quote-unquote, real helmet would look like for a wide receiver.”
Realtor Gwendolynn Herndon sued Love in Oregon after handing over $10,000 for an alleged bogus investment deal. She described his arrest as well-deserved “karma.”
She said: “I think I should be able to walk around and trust people in my community and the world has its own sense of balance.
“And some people think that they can run around and take advantage of people but at the end of the day, they get what’s coming to them.”
Addressing online critics who questioned how so many fell for the ruse, Herndon added: “The focus should be about holding perpetrators accountable and not going straight to blaming the victim for believing something.”
The targets didn’t stop with rental companies and investment pitches. In 2021, a California woman reportedly sued Love for failing to return a $7,461 loan after he claimed he lost his wallet.
Meanwhile, it’s claimed car buyer D’Angelo Smalley paid Love $15,000 for a matte orange Corvette ZL6 in 2023, only for the vehicle to be repossessed months later because Love was behind on payments.
“I’m not surprised, but I didn’t know he was doing all this,” Smalley said after discovering a Facebook group filled with Love’s alleged female victims. “I didn’t know it went that deep.”
Love’s initial federal court hearing has yet to be scheduled, while Chan’s attorney said in court last Thursday that his client denies all allegations.