Federal authorities say a former University of Alabama football player orchestrated an elaborate disguise scheme to steal the identities of NFL athletes and secure millions in fraudulent loans.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Atlanta federal prosecutors, Luther Davis donned wigs and makeup to pose as professional football players during video conference calls with lenders. In one instance during early 2024, Davis allegedly used cosmetics and a hairpiece while calling from an upscale Atlanta-area hotel to secure a $4 million loan.
The charging documents reveal Davis successfully deceived investors into believing they were lending money to legitimate NFL players. Federal officials say Davis continued the deception through March and July, using different disguises including wigs and a do-rag-style head covering to impersonate two additional professional athletes during separate video calls.
Prosecutors have not disclosed exactly how the disguises enabled Davis to convincingly portray the three different players, and the complaint identifies the NFL athletes only by their initials.
Both Davis and alleged co-conspirator CJ Evins face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. While both entered not guilty pleas in March, court documents show they are scheduled to change their pleas to guilty during an April 27 hearing.
Attempts to reach Davis’s lawyer Gabe Banks and Evins’s attorney Benjamin Alper for comment were unsuccessful.
The charging documents state that none of the impersonated NFL players had given Davis and Evins permission to obtain loans in their names. Beyond the video call disguises, prosecutors allege Davis created counterfeit driver’s licenses using photographs of the players found on the internet.
The fraudulent operation netted approximately $20 million through at least 13 bogus loans, which the defendants allegedly spent on real estate purchases, jewelry, and vehicles, according to federal authorities.
Davis was part of Alabama’s 2010 national championship team during his time with the Crimson Tide.
