Federal prosecutors say a man pretended to be an NFL player as part of an alleged romance fraud scheme, using the persona to win women’s trust before draining their bank accounts with help from a teenage accomplice, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, remains in custody after authorities accused him of defrauding at least 26 women out of more than $1.3 million in a wide-ranging scheme that prosecutors say stretched from February 2022 to March 2026.
Love and his alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Taylor Jamie Chan, were arrested Aug. 24 at the Boise Airport after Chan allegedly traveled from California to Idaho to meet Love and look for additional victims, prosecutors said.
Both were booked into the Ada County Jail in Boise and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Attorneys in Idaho for Love and Chan did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the men have not yet retained attorneys in Oregon, where the case is expected to be tried.
Love does not currently have a court date listed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon told Oxygen. Chan was released from jail on Aug. 27 and is scheduled to return to court Sept. 10.
Until that appearance, Chan is considered a “serious flight risk,” according to a court filing obtained by the New York Post.
Under the conditions outlined in the filing, Chan must surrender his passport and avoid contacting any alleged victims. The court also barred him from using online dating sites, social media apps or dating applications.
What is Daejon Love Accused Of?
Prosecutors allege Love targeted women across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California through dating apps, where he often used names including Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love, Jon Love and Jordan Love.
Prosecutors said Love presented himself as a wealthy investor who also played for the San Francisco 49ers, or as a Swiss real estate developer, to convince women to give him money for fake investments.
“Investigators have found no evidence that Love or Chan invested any of the victims’ money,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen, “or repaid their loans in a manner consistent with representations they made to the victims.”
To promote his image, Love sent women photos and videos of himself wearing designer clothes and expensive jewelry and driving exotic cars, per the complaint. Investigators also believe Love used phone apps to create hefty bank balances to legitimize his claims.
Love also built his fake NFL career by posting content on social media featuring real players, while pretending the footage belonged to him, according to the complaint. In one video, he allegedly pretended to sign an employment contract with the 49ers. Eventually, search engines and artificial intelligence results depicted Love as a 49ers player, according to the complaint.
“An analysis of Love’s financial records showed no identifiable source of legitimate, non-fraud income,” the complaint noted. “The records showed no direct deposits or payroll check deposits from the 49ers or any other legitimate employer.”
Chan stepped in as Love’s fake financial advisor to convince women he could turn their investments into gold, prosecutors said. Love allegedly introduced Chan to the women over FaceTime and Chan showed them screenshots of Love’s false gains.
“In at least one instance,” read the complaint, “Love falsely claimed that since he began investing with Chan, Love increased his net worth from $300,000 to $17 million in a matter of a few years.”
Love allegedly told the woman they would receive a debit card to withdraw their funds at any time, according to the complaint. If they didn’t have cash, Love allegedly helped them take out personal loans.
But in private, Love and Chan mocked their victims, according to the complaint, calling them “ugly” and “bitches.” In March 2024, Chan even messaged an individual claiming that “Love had money because he was scamming these hoes.”
Chan also stated that Love was not guilty of theft because “the victims willingly gave it to Love,” according to the complaint.
The complaint stated that once the women ran out of money or started asking too many questions about their investments, “Love blocked communications with them, but kept their money.”
One woman, who said she went on one date with Love in 2021, recalled his grandiose promises.
“He portrayed that he wanted to be with me,” Ayana Velasquez told CBS News, “wanted to give me kids, wanted to give me a house.”
She recalled how Love, who claimed to be named Jonathan, said he was from “one of the richest families in Switzerland” and had a private chef.
Velasquez and Love drifted apart until 2024, when he reached out to share that he was in the NFL, then allegedly sent her photos and videos to support the lie, the complaint noted.
“It just seemed too good to be true,” Velasquez told the outlet, adding that she “instantly” blocked him because, “I’m not going to be entertaining this for my own good.”
Some victims reported Love and Chan to law enforcement agencies in California and Oregon, according to the complaint.
Authorities interviewed representatives of the NFL and San Francisco 49ers, who confirmed that Love has never been employed with either organization, according to the complaint.
