According to a lawsuit, a lender was duped into giving a loan totaling more than $4 million by a fraudster posing as Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney, a two-time All-Pro.
In early 2024, Sure Sports allegedly contacted Aliya Sports Finance Fund (ASFF) about funding Xavier McKinney $4.375 million in exchange for an underwriting fee of $87,500, according to a complaint filed in Florida.
According to The Guardian, Aliya wrote the following in the complaint:
“Based on the information Sure Sports provided to ASFF, including its due diligence as to the identity and creditworthiness of McKinney and his company, XMK Companies, LLC, ASFF agreed to the terms of the Loan,”
“ASFF has come to learn that the borrower apparently was not McKinney, but rather a third party who impersonated McKinney to facilitate the disbursement and theft of the Loan proceeds.”
“The individual that received the loan is an unknown third party impersonating McKinney who has since absconded with the loan proceeds,” according to the lawsuit.
Sure Sports connects sportsmen with lenders after conducting due diligence before transactions. Leon McKenzie, the founder of Sure Sports, allegedly called ASFF on September 10, 2024, expressing concern about “the source that brought us McKinney” and mentioning a “FBI investigation.”
Sure Sports contends in a motion to dismiss the case that Aliya was obligated to conduct due diligence on the loan.
