{"id":7976,"date":"2026-08-30T05:04:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T05:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7976"},"modified":"2026-08-30T05:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T05:04:36","slug":"he-posed-as-a-49ers-player-feds-say-he-and-an-accomplice-defrauded-26-women-of-1-3-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7976","title":{"rendered":"He posed as a 49ers player. Feds say he and an accomplice defrauded 26 women of $1.3 million"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A man who allegedly spent more than $1,100 on a custom 49ers helmet and filled social media with images of himself in team gear used the elaborate persona, in tandem with a partner posing as a financial adviser, to help defraud more than two dozen women of $1.3 million, federal prosecutors say.<\/p>\n

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Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, stand accused of creating fake banking documents and using social media to create a facade of an NFL lifestyle, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. More victims likely exist, the department said in a release about the case, noting that the alleged scheme ran for more than four years.<\/p>\n

The pair were arrested at the Boise, Idaho, airport early last week, accused of defrauding victims up and down the West Coast.<\/p>\n

Love connected with many of the women on dating apps and maintained an Instagram account that positioned him as a 49ers player, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Idaho. He told other victims that he was a wealthy Swiss real estate investor. He claimed to have as much as $30 million in cash and investments, according to court documents.<\/p>\n

The account, with the handle @2bcontinued_4, has since been taken down, but not before the Los Angeles Times relayed tidbits from an Instagram Story titled \u201cNFL Journey\u201d that featured a video of him driving in his car with 49ers gear, including a helmet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I get a lot of fans who want to know how football works or how I got involved in the league,\u201d he said, according to The Times. \u201cIf you know me and see me in person I\u2019ll explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose SF because it was the right time. I was kind of already living in the Bay and it just worked out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love\u2019s name is associated with addresses in Dublin, Stockton and San Jose, according to a public-records database.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Screenshots released by the Justice Department show a man in 49ers workout clothes on a field stretching, as well as many shots of him with sports cars and team gear. The affidavit says, \u201cLove spent over $1,160 at Green Gridiron, a website specializing in custom football helmets.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to The Times, Love noted in one Instagram video that he was asked why he wasn\u2019t playing, responding that he was injured.<\/p>\n

Court filings only listed the victims by initials. One, identified as M.M., gave Love $10,000 to invest, then took out a $31,000 loan and sent it to him for further investment. Another victim identified as A.T. got in deeper, helping Love lease a McLaren sports car after he falsified a payroll check showing an income of $50,000 per month.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter making two monthly payments, A.T. realized she was being scammed,\u201d the affidavit read. \u201cLove returned the McLaren to A.T., who then returned the car to the dealership. A.T. paid $30,000 to break the lease.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn sum, A.T. lost $87,500.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 49ers spokesperson had no official comment other than to note player transactions are public and posted on the team website, as well as other league-related sites. Court documents state that investigators interviewed representatives from the NFL and the team to confirm Love had never been employed by either entity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn analysis of Love\u2019s financial records showed no identifiable source of legitimate, non-fraud income,\u201d an affidavit filed in the case read. \u201cThe records showed no direct deposits or payroll check deposits from the 49ers or any other legitimate employer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love and Chan allegedly showed fake documents \u2014 including bank account information \u2014 to the women that reflected millions in successful investments. According to the Justice Department, they exchanged texts in which Chan encouraged Love to make investment moves and even involved the women in three-way video calls about investments.<\/p>\n

The duo pushed the women to join in on investments, the department said, saying money sent to them would be invested on the women\u2019s behalf. Some victims even took out personal loans, as Love said they\u2019d make their money back quickly via \u201cexpedited accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some victims gave Love cash, while many sent him thousands of dollars via Apple Pay, according to court filings. Several of the victims listed in the affidavit caught on before giving the pair any money and walked away.<\/p>\n

Love used dating apps Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, Facebook Dating and gave multiple pseudonyms to the victims, the affidavit said. He told at least one that he was related to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Several of his online profiles were deactivated by service providers after victim complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce victims had no more money to invest, or if they asked too many questions, Love blocked communication with them, but kept their money,\u201d the news release said. \u201cOf the victims identified and interviewed, none reported receiving any proceeds, returns on their principal, or investment account information, after sending Love and Chan money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Authorities believe Love took images from real 49ers players and posted them on his social media to position himself as a member of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvestigators identified multiple screen recorded videos Love posted to his social media accounts which investigators believe depict legitimate NFL players and use content taken from their social media accounts,\u201d an affidavit filed in the case said.<\/p>\n

The men, who face wire fraud and conspiracy charges, made their first appearance in federal court Thursday in Boise.<\/p>\n

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Cam Inman and John Woolfolk contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 35-year-old man is accused of creating an online persona claiming to be a 49ers wide receiver, with his 18-year-old partner as a high-powered financial adviser.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nHe posed as a 49ers player. Feds say he and an accomplice defrauded 26 women of $1.3 million - Next City Digest<\/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:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7976\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He posed as a 49ers player. 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