Luther Davis, once a national champion with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2010, has now admitted to something far less glamorous than football glory. Prosecutors say he took part in a scheme to defraud investors of millions of dollars by impersonating NFL players. Yes, impersonating using wigs and makeup.
Alongside co-defendant CJ Evans, Davis pleaded guilty in federal court in Atlanta to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. That’s legal language for: “this was not a harmless prank.”
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brock Brockington, the scheme involved fake bank accounts, fake email addresses, and a very bold idea: convince investors they were either dealing with NFL players, or were the NFL players themselves.
And that’s where things get theatrical. Prosecutors say Davis didn’t just claim to be athletes on paper. He showed up on video calls in full disguise mode. We’re talking makeup, wigs, even a durag in one instance. Different looks for different “players,” like it was a low-budget sports movie nobody asked for.
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.
At the end of the day, Davis went from national champion to courtroom defendant, not because of what happened on the field, but because of what happened off it.
And if there’s one lesson here, it’s simple: if someone on a video call looks like they’re auditioning for multiple roles in one day, maybe double-check the paperwork.
