Federal authorities have charged two men with operating a multi-state romance scheme that defrauded at least 26 women out of approximately $1.3 million, using a fabricated NFL persona to target victims through dating applications. Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, face federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the duo targeted women across California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho between February 2022 and their arrests earlier this week.
Investigators state that Love established romantic relationships with victims after meeting them online, presenting himself as an undrafted wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers who lived in the Bay Area. To reinforce the persona, Love posted photos and videos on social media wearing team apparel, participating in football drills and posing alongside high-end luxury vehicles. Chan allegedly assisted the scheme by posing as Love’s personal financial adviser, helping convince victims that Love had amassed a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars through sophisticated investments.
Love advertised nonexistent investment vehicles and claimed these investments would generate massive returns for both him and his victims.” Prosecutors stated that Love and Chan hosted three-way FaceTime calls displaying falsified investment gains to build trust. When targeted women lacked liquid capital, Love directed them to secure personal loans under the promise of rapid repayment. Victims sent Love and Chan money due to their belief that their money would be invested in legitimate investment vehicles on the victims’ behalf.” To address questions regarding his status, Love posted videos explaining away his absence from the field.
In one Instagram video titled “NFL Journey,” Love recorded himself driving while holding a 49ers helmet: “I’m on my way to get my mom. I know I get a lot of fans who want to know how football works or how I got involved in the league.... If you know me and see me in person I’ll explain.
I chose SF because it was the right time. I was kind of already living in the Bay and it just worked out for me.” After his car chimed, Love added: “I’m in my new McLaren and it’s just real touch-and-go.” Love then presented a screenshot of a web page search result stating he was a wide receiver for the team. That’s not me, that’s Google,” Love said in the video, before pointing to an injury to explain why he was not currently playing.
He added: “People ask, what do I do? How can I afford a $500,000 car? How can I afford a $300,000 [Lamborghini] Urus?” Federal officials noted that once victims ran out of funds or began questioning the arrangements, Love stopped communicating.
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