Two men were arrested and charged in federal court in Portland, Oregon, after allegedly scamming at least 26 women out of $1.3 million across four states. One of the men, 35-year-old Daejon Labrayae Love, posed as a San Francisco 49ers player as part of the scheme.
The other suspect, 18-year-old Taylor Jamie Chan, allegedly acted as Love's financial advisor.
According to authorities, Love created an Instagram account portraying himself as a 49ers wide receiver who joined the team as an undrafted free agent and worked his way onto the roster. He then used the fake persona to meet women on dating apps, develop romantic relationships with them, and, with Chan, convince them to hand over money.
The two allegedly persuaded several women to take out personal loans, telling them the money would be quickly repaid. The scheme, which involved fictitious investment opportunities, dates back to 2022 and allegedly defrauded women in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The FBI believes there are "many more" victims who have yet to be identified.
"The scheme relied on Love's creation of fictitious personas and display of a lavish lifestyle which Love presented to victims both in person and on social media websites," federal authorities said in a press release, per the Los Angeles Times.
"Chan and Love also hosted three-way FaceTime calls in which they showed victims falsified investment gains and encouraged victims to part with their money. Victims sent Love and Chan money due to their belief that their money would be invested in legitimate investment vehicles on the victims' behalf."
Love's Instagram bio reads, "NFL Wide Receiver @49ers #undrafted Trust god." Most of the photos on the account show Love wearing 49ers gear, with some showing him alongside exotic cars.
Love and Chan were taken into custody Monday, August 24, at the Boise Airport in Idaho, where Love was reportedly scheduled to meet additional victims. The two were scheduled to appear in court in Portland on Thursday.
Comments