A former defensive tackle at the University of Alabama pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding investors of millions of dollars in part by putting on makeup and wigs to impersonate NFL players.
Luther Davis, 37, entered guilty pleas in federal court in Atlanta to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was a national champion with the Crimson Tide in 2010.
CJ Evins, 29, who was accused of executing the scheme with Davis, also pleaded guilty to the two charges.
Both men left court without commenting. U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg scheduled sentencing for Davis in October and Evins in August. The men each face up to seven years in prison, though prosecutors agreed to recommend a lower sentence as part of plea deals.
In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brock Brockington said the men used fake bank and email accounts to help convince lenders they were either acting on behalf of particular athletes or were the athletes themselves.
They later sought to impersonate higher-profile players with bigger contracts, he said.
Luther Davis pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding investors of millions of dollars in part by putting on makeup and wigs to impersonate NFL players
Michael Penix was among the players impersonated by Davis, according to one report
Njoku was reportedly impersonated by Davis, who wore a wig to deceive lenders
McKinney was thought to have received a seven-figure loan until the plan was revealed
Security for a players’ union learned that fraudulent player contracts had been used as collateral, he said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta filed a criminal complaint against Davis and Evins last month.
Davis wore disguises on multiple video calls with investors in 2024, pretending to be three different NFL players.
He wore makeup and a wig once, a wig a second time and a durag head covering on a third call, according to prosecutors, who identified the players only by initials.
As first reported by The Guardian earlier this month, those three players were Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney.
He allegedly donned makeup and a wig to impersonate Njoku in a 2024 video conference call, in which he secured a $4million promissory note. Later, prosecutors claimed, he wore a durag to impersonate Penix, who is often seen wearing that exact headcovering.
Disguised as McKinney, Davis allegedly signed for a $4.4m loan at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City on April Fool’s Day in 2024. That July, Davis secured a $3.3m promissory note from another lender over a video conference call, according to prosecutors.
None of the NFL players had authorized Davis and Evins to obtain loans.
In addition to wearing disguises, prosecutors say Davis used fake driver’s licenses with photos of the players that could be found online.
The scheme brought in nearly $20m from numerous fraudulent loans that Davis and Evins used in part to buy real estate, jewelry and cars, according to the criminal complaint.
