A former University of Alabama football player who helped the team win a national championship in 2009 is preparing to enter a guilty plea in connection with an elaborate $20 million fraud operation where he allegedly posed as professional NFL players, according to reports from The Guardian and federal court records obtained by AL.com.
Federal prosecutors in Atlanta filed charges against Luther Davis on March 19, though the case remained under wraps until Wednesday’s news report. Davis faces serious felony charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Court filings reveal that Davis collaborated with an associate named CJ Evins to secure 13 separate loans by assuming the identities of active and former NFL players. The victims included Michael Penix Jr., David Njoku, and Xavier McKinney, who was recruited by former Alabama head coach Nick Saban in 2017. The total amount of the fraudulent loans exceeded $19,845,000.
Federal documents state that Davis and Evins “executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in loans from multiple lenders … by impersonating football players and falsely claiming those players were seeking multi-million dollar loans.”
The elaborate deception involved Davis wearing what authorities described as a “durag-style head covering” while pretending to be Penix, and using photographs of players found online to support their false identities. Both suspects employed wigs, cosmetics, and fabricated identification documents during “virtual loan closings” conducted without the knowledge or permission of the actual players.
Federal prosecutors detailed the timeline of the criminal activity, stating: “Beginning no later than in or around May 2023 and continuing through in or about October 2024, the defendant, Luther Davis, and CJ Evins, executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in loans from multiple lenders, including, but not limited to, Aliya Sports and All Pro Capital Funding, by impersonating professional football players and falsely claiming those players were seeking multi-million dollar Loans.”
Davis, who operates a sports management business in Georgia, was among the first recruits signed by Saban when he arrived at Alabama in 2007. The Louisiana native from West Monroe had earned U.S. Army All-American honors and went on to play 45 games as a defensive lineman during his four-year career with the Crimson Tide.
Following his departure from Alabama, Davis came under scrutiny in 2013 when Yahoo Sports identified him as a potential “runner” who facilitated payments from advisers and agents to SEC prospects. Former Alabama star offensive lineman D.J. Fluker was reportedly among the recruits involved in those allegations.
