Man posed as 49ers star and duped women out of more than $1 million with phony investments: prosecutors
Daejon Labrayae Love and Taylor Jamie Chan are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud
NEED TO KNOW
- Two men allegedly posed as a 49ers player and his financial advisor to scam women out of $1.3 million
- Prosecutors say the scheme involved fake investment opportunities, dating apps and a fraudulent bank account app
- The alleged con spanned four years and targeted at least 26 victims, with more potential victims being investigated, authorities allege
Men posing as a San Francisco 49ers player and his financial advisor have been charged with duping more than two dozen women out of over $1 million with phony investment opportunities.
Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, have each been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday in a press release. Both were arrested at the Boise Airport in Idaho on Aug. 24 — in Love’s possession were $3,000 and a 49ers helmet, prosecutors wrote in a memo seeking pretrial detention.
Prosecutors say Love convinced women he met on dating apps that he was a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers or a wealthy real estate investor from Switzerland, while Chan posed as his financial advisor. Videos reviewed by prosecutors allegedly show Love wearing 49ers gear, showing off luxury vehicles and clothing, discussing his supposed friendships with prominent NFL players like Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill, federal prosecutors wrote in a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
The scheme allegedly took place over about four years until the pair’s arrest and conned at least 26 people out of $1.3 million, the Justice Department wrote.
The alleged con was supported by photographs he posted on social media depicting himself in 49ers gear and ostentatiously flaunting his supposed wealth, and photos he would send to his alleged victims, according to the criminal complaint. Search engine optimization and artificial intelligence online occasionally assisted him in developing the persona by portraying him as a player on Google.
Love would allegedly encourage the women to invest money with Chan, whom he said helped increase his net worth to up to $30 million — using a fake bank account app to support the story, per the complaint. If a woman didn’t have money to invest, Love would help her get a personal loan.
Once the women had sent money to the pair, Love would sometimes show them their supposed account balance on an app called Pocket Option, prosecutors claim. However, what he was actually showing them was the app’s demo version where users can trade in fictitious funds as a means of learning the fundamentals of investing, according to the complaint.
Usually, Love eventually broke off contact with the alleged victims once they had no more money to invest or started asking questions, the complaint alleges. The alleged victims never got their money back.
In one instance, however, a victim was so disturbed by Love’s threats of physical harm that she sought a restraining order, according to the detention memo. He allegedly told another woman he could “make her disappear,” per the memo.
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Attorneys for Love and Chan did not immediately return requests for comment from PEOPLE. It’s not clear if either has entered a plea.
Prosecutors believe there may have been more victims. Love has allegedly been known to use other names as well, such as Avril Lyto Love, Jordan Love and Jon Love, DOJ says.
