Man posed as San Francisco 49er to defraud women of $1.3 million in multi-state romance scheme, feds say

A man was accused of pretending to be a San Francisco 49ers player to defraud women, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Oregon.

Beginning in February 2022, Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, created fictitious investments to defraud numerous women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California, according to court documents.

Authorities said both men were arrested when Chan flew from California on Monday to meet Love in Boise, Idaho. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Love would meet most of the women through dating apps and pretend to have a lavish lifestyle on social media, falsely portraying himself as a 49ers player or a wealthy real estate investor, according to authorities.

The attorney’s office said Love convinced victims they were in sincere romantic relationships with him, that he was a sophisticated investor and that Chan was his “investment adviser,” who helped Love to grow a fortune of tens of millions of dollars.

Love told the victims he wanted to build wealth and a future with them, authorities said. Officials added Love advertised nonexistent investment vehicles, claiming these investments would generate massive returns for both him and his victims.

Court documents said Love used phone apps to create fictitious bank and investment accounts and balances to show the victims and make the scheme appear legitimate.

Authorities said Love and Chan exchanged electronic communications in which Chan pretended to be Love’s investment adviser and would send messages encouraging Love to invest in new opportunities. Love would then send screenshots of those messages to the victims to convince them to send money to either of them, according to court documents.

The U.S. attorney’s office said the pair would have video calls with the victims to show them falsified investment gains and encourage them to part with their money. If the victims did not have money, authorities said, Love sometimes instructed them to take a loan; if they were left with no more money to invest or asked too many questions, Love would block them, stop any communication with them and keep the money.

Financial records show the pair received about $1.3 million from victims, according to authorities. Officials said 26 victims have been identified, but the FBI believes there could be more.

The FBI encourages anyone with information on Love or Chan to submit a tip at the FBI website https://tips.fbi.gov/home or to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.