Luther Davis, a former defensive tackle at the University of Alabama, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Atlanta to charges tied to a scheme prosecutors described as relying on impersonation of NFL players to secure investor funding. Davis, 37, entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. His co-defendant, CJ Evins, 29, pleaded guilty in the same case to the same two charges.
Prosecutors said the scheme used disguises designed to make Davis appear as NFL players during conversations with investors. During video calls in 2024, Davis allegedly portrayed multiple different players, using makeup and wigs and, prosecutors said, identifying the targeted athletes only by initials in the interactions. Prosecutors also said Davis used fake driver’s licenses bearing photos of the players, which prosecutors said could be found online.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brock Brockington said prosecutors’ case included the use of fake bank and email accounts to help persuade lenders that Davis and Evins were either acting on behalf of particular athletes or were the athletes themselves. Prosecutors also said the defendants sought to move from lower-profile targets to impersonating higher-profile players with bigger contracts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta brought the case after, prosecutors said, security for a players’ union learned that fraudulent player contracts had been used as collateral. According to prosecutors, Davis wore disguises on multiple video calls with investors in 2024, including makeup and a wig on one call and a wig and a do-rag-style head covering on other calls, while prosecutors identified the players only by initials.
Prosecutors said the overall effort brought in nearly $20 million through numerous fraudulent loans. They said Davis and Evins used part of that money to buy real estate, jewelry and cars. The criminal complaint also said none of the NFL players had authorized Davis and Evins to obtain loans.
After entering their pleas, both men left court without commenting. Judge Steven Grimberg set Davis’s sentencing for October and set Evins’s sentencing for August.