Multiple published reports, led by The Guardian, say former Crimson Tide defensive lineman Luther Davis plans to make a guilty plea later this month to a scam where he wore wigs to impersonate NFL players. Prosecutors alleged the athlete defrauded lenders out of nearly $20 million dollars. The US attorney for the northern district of Georgia is pursuing the case against Luther and a co-cospirator.
Court documents reportedly say Davis obtained thirteen loans fraudulently for close to $20 million dollars. The Criminal Information report in the case doesn’t list all of the victims who were cheated by the defendants. But, it does offer examples of how Davis wore wigs to pass himself off as NFL athletes in order to arrange loans under false pretenses. One allegation is that Davis impersonated former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku to arrange a $4 million dollar loan with Aliya Sports. A second loan with that same company was just over $4 million while passing himself off, ironically, as former Alabama player Xavier McKinney, who now plays for Green Bay.
The northern district of Georgia court docket, reported by The Guardian, says both Evins and Davis plam to enter a plea of guilty later this month. They are each charged with aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Just the fraud charge reportedly carries a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.
During his time with the Crimson Tide, Davis was considered a recruitment victory for coach Nick Saban. The 2010 team defeated the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl (part of Alabama’s fight song,) to win Saban the first of six national titles in Tuscaloosa. Davis went undrafted in 2011, and never went professional.
