Ex-Alabama player charged in $20M NFL impersonation scheme
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- Luther Davis, a former Alabama defensive end (2007–2010, 2009 national champion), faces wire fraud and identity theft charges for allegedly using wigs and fake driver's licenses to impersonate three active NFL players.
- Davis and partner CJ Evins allegedly secured at least 13 fraudulent loans totaling more than $19.8 million between May 2023 and October 2024, per a March 19 criminal filing in Atlanta.
- The three impersonated players—Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr., former Cleveland Brown David Njoku, and Green Bay's Xavier McKinney—did not authorize the loans, and fake email accounts were created in their names.
- At specific closings, Davis allegedly impersonated Njoku via wig-and-makeup video call (Jan. 22, 2024, $4M), McKinney at the Ritz-Carlton in NYC (April 1, 2024, $4.4M), and Penix at a SpringHill Suites in Buford, GA (July 26, 2024, $3.3M).
- CJ Evins is scheduled to plead guilty at an April 27 hearing, his attorney Ben Alper told ESPN; Davis's attorney did not respond to a comment request.
- Aliya Sports Finance is suing Sure Sports in Florida's 11th Circuit Court, alleging negligence, gross negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment; that case remains pending.
Why it matters: This alleged $19.8 million scheme exploited high-profile NFL identities across at least 13 loans and multiple states, with lenders wiring millions after video and in-person closings—underscoring how thin identity verification was at the underwriter level. The fallout has already spilled into civil court: Aliya Sports Finance is suing Sure Sports in Florida, meaning the three players' stolen identities triggered a lender-on-lender fight that extends well beyond the criminal case against Davis and Evins.
