Former Alabama Player Used Wigs, Makeup in $19.8 Million Loan Fraud

Wigs, makeup, fake IDs and even a durag-style head covering were part of an alleged fraud scheme that federal prosecutors say let former University of Alabama defensive lineman Luther Davis pose as NFL players and chase millions in loans.

Davis, who played for Alabama from 2007 to 2010 and was part of Nick Saban’s 2009 national championship team, is expected to plead guilty at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg in Atlanta on April 27. The case has put a spotlight on how celebrity identities can be weaponized in high-dollar lending, especially when lenders rely on remote video closings instead of face-to-face verification.

Federal filings say Davis and an accomplice, CJ Evins, ran the scheme from about May 2023 through October 2024. Prosecutors allege they impersonated at least three NFL players, including Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, during virtual loan closings. The pair allegedly used disguises to get lenders to believe they were dealing with the athletes themselves.

The scheme allegedly involved 13 fraudulent loans and at least $19.8 million, with nearly $20 million obtained or attempted from multiple lenders, including Aliya Sports and All Pro Capital Funding. Investigators said the impersonation effort included wigs, makeup and fake IDs, turning what should have been a routine identity check into a staged performance designed to defeat lender safeguards.

The allegations have drawn unusual attention because they sit at the intersection of celebrity theft, financial fraud and the growing dependence on remote dealmaking. By using the names of active NFL players, the defendants allegedly exploited both public recognition and the trust that comes with professional status. The case also underscores how lenders can be vulnerable when identity checks are reduced to video calls and paperwork that can be manipulated with props, altered appearances and forged documents.

Davis’s football past gives the case an added jolt in Alabama, where his role on a national title team once tied him to one of college football’s most visible programs. Now, federal prosecutors say that notoriety helped fuel a scheme built on impersonation and deception, one that reached into Georgia’s federal court system and left lenders facing losses measured in the tens of millions.