Former Alabama player impersonated Falcons’ Michael Penix and others in $20M fraud case

Former Alabama defensive lineman Luther Davis is expected to please guilty this month to charges stemming from Davis impersonating several NFL players and lenders using wigs and makeup as a disguise according to a report from The Guardian on Wednesday.

The charges were filed in Atlanta on March 19, which cite two felonies for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to the documents, Davis alongside CJ Evins, obtained 13 fraudulent loans for nearly $20 million in the names of current and former NFL players.

The players named in the report by The Guardian were Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney. None of the players listed had involvement in the scheme outside of having their identities stolen.

The duo allegedly utilized fake IDs, along with their disguises during “virtual loan closings” in the names of players.

“Beginning no later than in or around May 2023 and continuing through in or about October 2024, the defendant, Luther Davis and CJ Evins, executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in loans from multiple lenders, including, but not limited to, Aliya Sports and All Pro Capital Funding, by impersonating professional football players and falsely claiming those players were seeking multi-million dollar loans,” federal prosecutors said according to the report.

Davis, played for the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban and was a member of the 2009 national championship team as a defensive lineman and now owns a sports management company in Georgia.