The FBI announced Tuesday that two men, Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
Love and Chan ran a scheme in which the former posed as a San Francisco 49ers player to defraud women through fictitious investments. At least 26 women in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho were scammed out of $1.3 million, and federal authorities believe there are many more victims.
Love began meeting women on various dating apps in February 2022 and carried out romantic relationships with them to earn their trust. He also ran an Instagram account that portrayed him as a 49ers player and featured photos of himself wearing team gear. In one particular post, Love was shown running routes on the beach while wearing a 49ers helmet.
Love's Instagram account bio read, "Grind don't stop. Suisse made. NFL Wide Receiver @49ers #undrafted."
"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," the United States Attorney's Office said in a statement. "Love falsely portrayed himself as legitimately wealthy, often as an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers or as a wealthy real estate investor."
Chan, who acted as Love's investment adviser, would join him on three-way FaceTime calls to convince women to invest and take out loans by showing them falsified investment gains.
Once the women asked further questions or ran out of money, Love and Chan would cease communication with them. None of the victims questioned by authorities received any repayment from Love or Chan.
Love used several names as part of the scheme, including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love, and Jordan Love. The two men were taken into custody Monday at the Boise Airport in Idaho, where Love planned to meet new victims.
