Man Allegedly Poses As 49ers Player In $1.3 Million Romance Scam, Feds Say

According to a prosecutor, a man has allegedly been using dating apps, fraudulent financial accounts, and falsely posing as a San Francisco 49ers player to trick women into investing in a relationship with him that never actually existed.

35-year-old Daejon Labrayae Love and 18-year-old Taylor Jamie Chan are facing federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, 26 alleged victims have been identified by federal investigators, with that number collectively sending around $1.3 million to the men. (RELATED: Packers’ Josh Jacobs Hit With Two Misdemeanor Charges)

Per the news release, the alleged scheme started in Feb. 2022 and ultimately ended Aug. 24 when the two men were arrested.

Love allegedly met several women using dating apps and tricked them into believing they were in legitimate romantic relationships. Not only did Love allegedly claim to be an NFL player, but he also portrayed himself as a real estate investor who was looking to get serious with the women, as well as build wealth with them.

To support the claims, investigators contend he used social media to make it appear he led a luxurious lifestyle, while using vacation photos and altered bank balances to bolster his showmanship.

Chan’s alleged role was to assist in making the scheme look legitimate by portraying to be the financial adviser for Love. According to prosecutors, Chan spoke with Love regarding the apparent opportunities to invest and joined FaceTime calls with a number of the women to show fabricated earnings.

It’s alleged that the women were promised huge, quick returns if they put money into the fake investments. Love also allegedly received loans from some of the women, while encouraging others to take out personal loans when they didn’t have cash on hand.

THIS NIGGA POSTING PICS LIKE HE AT PRACTICE I’M CRYING https://t.co/sOy6nK9hq2 pic.twitter.com/uiRGgXNrsw

Per investigators, Love allegedly cut off contact with women who no longer had money to invest or started questioning what was being invested into. Out of the 26 women, none received documentation, returns, or proceeds that showed an investment account was opened for them, according to prosecutors.

Authorities believe that the total number of victims could be higher.

After Chan flew to Idaho from California to meet Love, both men were placed under arrest at the Boise Airport. According to investigators, Love was in the state to meet up with other possible victims.