ATLANTA (AP) — In early 2024, Luther Davis, a former defensive tackle at the University of Alabama, used a wig and makeup to impersonate an NFL player during a video call from an upscale hotel in suburban Atlanta. This elaborate deception was intended to secure a $4 million loan.
Davis successfully convinced investors that the funds were for an NFL player, but federal prosecutors claim he had ulterior motives. The details of this scheme are outlined in a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta last month.
According to prosecutors, Davis subsequently donned various disguises—including a do-rag—to impersonate other NFL players on video calls, continuing to defraud lenders out of millions more. The complaint notes that the specific disguises’ effectiveness in mimicking the players is not explained, and the athletes remain unnamed, identified only by initials.
Davis is charged alongside collaborator CJ Evins with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, with both having pleaded not guilty in March. They are scheduled to return to court on April 27 to enter a guilty plea.
The complaint reveals that none of the targeted NFL players had authorized Davis or Evins to secure these loans. To bolster their impersonation, the men used fake driver's licenses featuring images of the players, all of which could be found online.
This fraudulent operation generated nearly $20 million from a minimum of 13 loans, with the proceeds believed to have been funneled into real estate, jewelry, and luxury vehicles.
Davis, who was part of the Alabama Crimson Tide's championship team in 2010, now faces serious legal repercussions.
