Essentials Inside The Story
- The FBI arrested two men misrepresenting themselves and commiting wire frauds since 2022.
- The defendant used false connections with multiple NFL players to make women gain trust in him and his investment offers.
- He almost got caught once when a 49ers fan couldn't identify him.
It’s still 63 days till Halloween — but not for two imposters who casually cosplayed an NFL player’s life using technology and some fabricated money to woo women across the nation.
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The FBI apprehended 35-year-old Daejon Labrayae Love and co-conspirator Taylor Jamie Chan (18) at the Idaho airport on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to wire fraud on Monday. But as the facts continue to come out, the story has snowballed into a much bigger case of misrepresentation than previously thought.
“Beginning in February 2022, Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, created fictitious investments to defraud numerous women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California,” the FBI stated through an X post.
Daejon Labrayae Love met his victims through dating apps under multiple aliases like Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love, and Jordan Love. Allegedly posing as an undrafted San Francisco 49ers player and wealthy real-estate investor, he would develop romantic relationships with many of the women, telling his victims that he wanted to build wealth and a future together. And then comes the web of lies.
What we know so far
Once the women started trusting him, Love promoted nonexistent investment vehicles and claimed that the investments would generate massive returns for both himself and the women. Fake bank and investment accounts took the scam a notch higher.
To make things more believable, Chan came up with messages about new investment opportunities, and Love would send the screenshots to his victims. The two allegedly hosted three-way FaceTime calls designed to show victims falsified investment gains. And if the victims didn’t have any money, Love would convince them to opt for a loan.
On August 17, arrest warrants and a criminal complaint were issued for the two in the District of Oregon. The FBI learned of Chan visiting Love in Boise, Idaho, where the latter was supposed to prey on more victims. They apprehended both right there.
In total, they obtained about $1.3 million from 26 identified victims. Following an FBI investigation, Love and Chan were charged by criminal complaint in federal court in Portland with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The whole storyline is certainly eye-opening, to say the least. But how it came to life is even more shocking.
The conspiracy setup…
It all began in February 2022 when Love started creating an NFL career with the magic of costumes, social media influence, and fabricated wealth. The props only got more elaborate.
The investigators have traced over $1,160 in purchases to Green Gridiron, a seller of custom football helmets. Additionally, he practiced in the 49ers’ helmet and gear on the beach, posting those photos to his now-deleted Instagram page @2bcontinued_4 reportedly had 14 posts and 6,732 followers. And here’s how the victims got stuck in the social media fantasy…
Love apparently bought social media followers to look like a legitimate NFL player who is fairly popular. He also used the 49ers fans’ love for the team to bluff.
How the 49ers fans also became part of the stage
The 35-year-old portrayed himself as an undrafted wideout who worked hard to finally get on the roster. Of course, he hoped that only casual fans came across him who wouldn’t care enough to check the team’s official page. But the biggest question was, if he is on the roster, why does no one see him play?
In a video where Love said that he was going to pick his mother, he explained that he is not currently playing due to a finger injury. Now, for a team that was severely plagued by the injury bug in the last few seasons, another wide receiver out of the roster doesn’t come as a surprise. But he almost got caught once.
When he was working out on the beach in the 49ers gear, a woman took a photo with him to show his grandson, a Niners fan. But he didn’t recognize him and asked her to go back and ask his name. It was too late.
Love drove away in a Honda Civic, the woman said. But the fans weren’t the only ones fooled.
Love pulled Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love, NFL WR Tyreek Hill, and more into his web of lies
The criminal complaint against Daejon Labrayae Love states that he had suggested that he was a relative of Jordan Love to lure a woman into investing $17,200. She never received confirmation of any investment, and when she started asking questions, the defendant blocked her. His tactics didn’t end here.
In a video, he touted friendships with Tyreek Hill and former WRs Antonio Brown and John Brown.
“Love claims that since he exercised with these players during the offseason,” officials wrote in the court filing, “he received invitations to try out with NFL teams.”
Making his life look more real, he used locker room and in-game field videos from actual NFL players, trimmed them using editing tools. To a casual fan, outsiders don’t have access to those moments. It had to be real! But it wasn’t…
When reached, both the NFL and the 49ers’ representatives denied ever having Love on their rosters.
The two appeared in front of the court on August 27. For now, the FBI is seeking additional information regarding the case as they continue to believe there are more victims of this fraud.