A former college football champion has been accused of one of the more elaborate fraud schemes in recent memory. Luther Davis is accused of donning wigs, makeup, and fake IDs to impersonate NFL players and pocket nearly $20 million in loans. The defensive tackle who won a BCS national championship with Alabama in 2010 allegedly posed as three separate NFL players—identified only by initials—between May 2023 and October 2024, according to a federal filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia. None of the impersonated players is accused of wrongdoing. Davis and co-conspirator CJ Evins allegedly secured at least 13 loans from lenders who believed they were dealing directly with the athletes. When lenders arranged Zoom calls to finalize agreements, Davis allegedly appeared in disguise, using fake IDs and falsified financial documents incorporating player photos pulled from the internet. One disguise allegedly included a “durag-style head covering.” Prosecutors say the funds were funneled through sham businesses before landing in the pair’s personal accounts, where the money was used to buy real estate, vehicles, and jewelry. Both men face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, with plea hearings scheduled for April 27.
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