FBI arrests man for posing as 49ers player in ₦1.82 billion scam targeting 26 women
Federal agents arrested a 35-year-old man at an airport in Boise, Idaho, on August 24, accusing him of running a four-year romance scam in which he posed as a San Francisco 49ers player and defrauded at least 26 women out of $1.3 million.
Daejon Labrayae Love was taken into custody alongside Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, who allegedly posed as Love's personal financial advisor to make the scheme more convincing. Both face charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They remain in federal custody.
The fake NFL career
Prosecutors in the US District of Oregon filed charges against Love for presenting himself online and in person as an undrafted wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Court filings show he used false bank statements and rented luxury cars to build the illusion of an NFL salary. His Instagram page featured photos of him in 49ers gear, posing in front of a Lamborghini and an expensive SUV, alongside images of what prosecutors say were fake credit cards.
Love went to unusual lengths to make the fiction hold. He allegedly manipulated Google's AI Overview feature and planted false information online so that victims who searched his name would find evidence of his NFL career. When victims asked why he never played, he blamed a recovery from injury.
How the scam worked
According to court filings, Love met women through dating apps and worked to make them emotionally invested. Once he had their trust, he used fake bank account statements and promises of higher-than-market investment returns to persuade them to hand over money. The investments did not exist. There is no evidence Love ever returned any of the funds. Prosecutors say he cut off all communication and moved on to new targets once his victims ran out of money.
The scam ran from February 2022 until his arrest. Financial records reviewed by prosecutors show Love received at least $1.3 million from 26 identified women. Prosecutors believe there may be more victims.
Arrest in Idaho
Love and Chan were arrested by FBI agents at the Boise airport, where authorities say they had travelled to meet new potential victims. The arrest came after a four-year investigation that traced the flow of money and the pattern of complaints from women across multiple states.
If convicted, Love faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charges.
Online reaction and comparisons
The case has drawn comparisons to convicted conman Simon Leviev, who defrauded multiple women he met on Tinder out of millions of dollars. Leviev's scheme, which involved lavish gifts, private jet dinners and borrowed money that was never repaid, became the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler."
The Love case has sparked discussion online about the persistence of romance scams, a fraud category that continues to extract large sums from victims through fabricated wealth and manufactured trust. The tactic is consistent: build a relationship, display wealth, promise returns, collect money, disappear.
According to Pulse.ng.
