The alleged mastermind of a million-dollar scam targeting sports stars has reportedly been found dead in a swimming pool.
An investigation has been launched into the death of Mohamed Coulibaly, 24, after his body was discovered at a house in Harrison Township, New Jersey.
According to ABC, police officers visited the home after family members expressed concerns about Coulibaly.
Only last month, the 24-year-old from Philadelphia was named by Barron’s as the organizer of an alleged scam that attempted to lure ex-NFL players and other athletes into buying a stake in ‘bogus websites.’
According to Barron’s, Coulibaly allegedly hoped to dupe the athletes into believing they were investing in successful businesses. Instead, three ex-NFL players claimed to have lost more than $1million combined.
Among those who allegedly fell victim to the scam was former New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder. He reportedly invested his life savings – worth $500,000 – into one of Coulibaly’s ventures.
The alleged mastermind of a scam targeting sports stars has reportedly been found dead in a swimming pool
Among those who allegedly fell victim to the scam was ex-New York Giants star Tae Crowder
‘We were just, every day, talking about different investments and different things we could possibly get into. I saw him hanging out with a bunch of different guys that I know, which you know made me feel comfortable,’ Crowder recalled, per ABC.
‘I would log into the store all the time and just see how it would work and what was going on. I feel like the more I told him about that, as many times I kept logging in, the number started going up.’
But Crowder claims he never saw any return on his investment. ‘I don’t want anybody else to get involved in anything like this, and whoever has got involved, I just want to come together and make it right.’
According to Barron’s, Coulibaly claimed investors had not received any money because he was still waiting for funds himself.
At the time of his death, ABC reports, no criminal charges had been filed related to the alleged scheme.
A GoFundMe page, purportedly created by Mohamed’s brother, Badra, has raised nearly $13,000. The family is ‘urgently working to bring him home so he can be laid to rest with dignity and peace.’ Coulibaly previously told Barron’s that he immigrated to the US as a child with his Malian family.
