Ex-Alabama player allegedly posed as NFL players in $20 million loan fraud scheme

AFC EastBillsDolphinsJetsPatriotsAFC NorthBengalsBrownsRavensSteelersAFC SouthColtsJaguarsTexansTitansAFC WestBroncosChargersChiefsRaidersNFC EastCommandersCowboysEaglesGiantsNFC NorthBearsLionsPackersVikingsNFC SouthBuccaneersFalconsPanthersSaintsNFC West49ersCardinalsRamsSeahawksScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyNFL OddsNFL PicksNFL DraftPodcastsScoop City NewsletterThe Beast7-Round Mock DraftTop 100 RankingsConsensus RankingsNFL Draft OrderEx-Alabama player allegedly posed as NFL players in $20 million loan fraud schemeLuther Davis is accused of wearing elaborate disguises involving wigs and makeup. Dale Zanine / Imagn Images Share articleLuther Davis, a former Alabama defensive tackle who won a national championship with the Crimson Tide in 2010, is accused in federal court of posing as NFL players to collect nearly $20 million in fraudulent loans. The U.S. Attorney’s Office claimed in a March filing that Davis and co-conspirator CJ Evins wore wigs and makeup to impersonate the players, identified only as X.M., D.N. and M.P., between May 2023 and October 2024. None of those players is accused of criminal activity. According to the Georgia filing, Davis and Evins schemed to obtain at least 13 loans from lenders who believed they were speaking directly with those players. When the lenders set up Zoom calls with the supposed athletes and notaries to finalize the loan authorizations, Davis allegedly dressed up and provided fake IDs and financial documents to conceal his identity. Those documents included stolen and fabricated driver’s license numbers featuring pictures of the players that were “easily found online.” Once the loans were approved, prosecutors said, the funds flowed through a network of sham businesses the pair controlled and into their personal accounts. Davis and Evins allegedly used that money to purchase real estate, vehicles and jewelry. Among those misled were lenders Aliya Sports Finance Fund and All Pro Capital Funding, as well as Sure Sports, a brokerage firm that negotiates financial deals with professional athletes. While the players who were impersonated are identified only by their initials, Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney, whose initials are “X.M.,” is named in a Florida lawsuit that ASFF recently filed against Sure Sport for alleged negligence. It accuses Sure Sport of failing to prevent fraudulent loans from being issued under circumstances identical to tactics Davis and Evins allegedly employed. The Georgia case also provides some details about the impersonation of the player it calls M.P., alleging Davis wore “a durag-style head covering” as a disguise. The Athletic reached out to Davis’ attorney for comment and will update this story if he responds. Evins’ lawyer, Benjamin Alper, confirmed his client intends to plead guilty. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Davis will next appear in court for a plea hearing April 27, with Evins set for his own plea hearing a half-hour later. They are being tried separately and are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, all felonies. A former high school football star in Louisiana, Davis played for Alabama from 2007 to 2010 and won a BCS national championship in coach Nick Saban’s third season as head coach. He never played in the NFL. Following his college career, Davis was accused in 2013 of violating NCAA rules by working as an intermediary for college football stars and NFL agents. As an unofficial agent and “bagman,” he allegedly helped arrange cash transfers and benefits such as hotel stays and flights on behalf of then-Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, as well as other deals involving players Ed Stinson, Tyler Bray, Maurice Couch, Fletcher Cox and Chad Bumphis. Those allegations emerged nine months after Alabama defeated Notre Dame for the national championship, its third title in four years. No criminal charges emerged from the alleged dealings. All of the players accused had already left school by the time the NCAA investigated the reports, except for Couch, who the association declared permanently ineligible to play college football. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Matt Moret is a Staff Editor for The Athletic's news team. Prior to joining The Athletic, he worked as the statewide morning news editor for Colorado Public Radio and Denverite. He was also a digital editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He's originally from the Philadelphia area.