Federal authorities charge two men with multi-state romance scam using fake NFL persona

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. According to the U.S. 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 convinced many of the victims they were in sincere romantic relationships with Love, that he was a sophisticated investor, and that Chan was his investment adviser who helped Love grow a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars,” federal prosecutors said in a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Love had romantic relationships with many of the victims and told them he wanted to build wealth and a future together. 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.

“The scheme relied on Love’s creation of fictitious personas and display of a lavish lifestyle which Love presented to victims both in person and on social media websites,” federal authorities wrote. “Chan and Love also hosted three-way FaceTime calls in which they showed victims falsified investment gains and encouraged victims to part with their money. 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 Google. 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. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, “of the victims identified and interviewed, none reported receiving any proceeds.”

Investigators discovered Love used several aliases, including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love and Jordan Love. Travel records showed he had visited New Mexico, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Idaho since mid-July.

FBI agents arrested Love and Chan on Aug. 24, 2026, at the Boise Airport in Idaho, where Chan had flown from California to meet Love as he prepared to target additional victims. The pair remain in federal custody and are scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Portland, Oregon.