Former Alabama tackle pleads guilty to defrauding investors using wigs to impersonate NFL players

Alabama's Luther Davis (96) reacts after their 32-13 win over Florida in the SEC championship NCAA college football game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Dec. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

ATLANTA — A former defensive tackle at the University of Alabama pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding investors of millions of dollars by putting on makeup and wigs to impersonate NFL players.

Luther Davis, 37, entered guilty pleas in federal court in Atlanta to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. CJ Evins, 29, who was accused of executing the scheme with Davis, also pleaded guilty to the two charges.

Both men left court without commenting. U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg scheduled sentencing for Davis in October and Evins in August. The men each face up to seven years in prison, though prosecutors agreed to recommend a lower sentence as part of plea deals.

In court Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brock Brockington said the men used fake bank and email accounts to help convince lenders they were either acting on behalf of particular athletes or were the athletes themselves. They later sought to impersonate higher-profile players with bigger contracts, he said.

Security for a players’ union learned that athletes’ contracts had been used as collateral, he said.

Davis wore disguises on multiple video calls with investors in 2024, pretending to be three different NFL players. He wore makeup and a wig once, a wig a second time and a do-rag-style head covering on a third call, according to prosecutors, who identified the players only by initials.

None of the NFL players had authorized Davis and Evins to obtain loans. In addition to wearing disguises, prosecutors say Davis used fake driver’s licenses with photos of the players that could be found online.

The scheme brought in nearly US$20 million from at least 13 fraudulent loans that Davis and Evins used in part to buy real estate, jewelry and cars, according to a criminal complaint filed last month.

Davis was a national champion with the Crimson Tide in 2010.

Sudhin Thanawala, The Associated Press