Ex-Alabama Player Faces Identity Theft Charge for Michael Penix Impersonation: Report

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. may have been the victim of identity theft.

According to federal court records, former Alabama player Luther Davis faces charges of wire fraud and identify theft for impersonating Penix and other NFL players from May 2023 to October 2024 to try and secure almost $20 million in loans.

ESPN's Michael Rothstein wrote Thursday that Davis allegedly wore wigs and used fake drivers licenses to pretend to be Penix along with two other prominent NFL players -- Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney.

Like Davis, McKinney played college football at Alabama. The safety was a second-round pick for the New York Giants in 2020.

But Penix and Njoku were first-round picks from the Pac-12 and ACC. Penix played in the Big Ten as well but never in the SEC.

"The court documents state that none of the players had authorized the loans and that fake email accounts were created without their knowledge," wrote Rothstein.

Who Is Alabama's Luther Davis?

Davis played at Alabama in the early Nick Saban era. According to Rivals.com, he was one of the best defensive tackle recruits of the 2007 class.

A Louisiana native, Davis was expected to attend LSU. But he de-committed from the Tigers to play for Saban in Tuscaloosa.

Davis played at Alabama from 2007-10. He appeared in all 14 games during the 2009 season, which was Saban's first national championship with the Crimson Tide.

In 45 college games, Davis posted eight tackles for loss with zero sacks. He also had one pass defense.

In 2013, AL.com's Andrew Gribble called the former defensive lineman a "steady, reliable contributor." But he went unselected in the 2011 NFL Draft.

In Sept. 2013, Yahoo Sports implicated Davis for a role where he alledgely provided improper benefits to five SEC football players. One of those five players included Crimson Tide teammate D.J. Fluker.

The Latest Acquisitions Against Luther Davis

Rothstein wrote Thursday that Davis and his partner, CJ Evins, alledgely used three identities -- D.N., X.M. and M.P. -- to apply for loans. Obviously, those are the initials of the three NFL players -- Njoku, McKinnley and Penix.

The report stated Davis and Evins went to great lengths to impersonate the Falcons quarterback and the other two players.

"To convince lenders they were the three players, the court documents allege that Davis and Evins created 'fabricated personal financial statements, Secretary of State documents, and bank statements for companies purportedly operated by the players,'" add Rothstein. "The document, filed March 19 in Atlanta, alleges that Davis and Evins registered companies similar to the names of the players to accomplish this."

Overall, Davis applied for 13 fake loans for more than $19.8 million.

Plea hearings for Davis and Evins will occur on April 27. Evins' attorney, Ben Alper, told ESPN his client plans to plead guilty.

Davis' attorney didn't provide ESPN a comment.