NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA — Luther Davis and CJ Evins are scheduled to enter guilty pleas on April 27, 2026, in the Northern District of Georgia on charges of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for allegedly impersonating NFL players to obtain nearly $20 million in fraudulent loans. According to a criminal information filing, the two obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000 between May 2023 and October 2024.

The identities of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney were used in the scheme, according to the filing. None of the players had authorized the loans. Davis and Evins registered companies with names closely related to the impersonated players' names or initials with the Georgia Secretary of State and opened bank accounts for the entities.

The pair created fraudulent email accounts purportedly used by the players without the players' knowledge and obtained fake identification documents, including driver's licenses, in the players' names. They provided fabricated personal financial statements, Secretary of State documents and bank statements to loan brokers for companies purportedly operated by the players.

Davis appeared at virtual loan closings disguised as the athletes, often wearing a wig, according to the criminal information filing. At a January 22, 2024, virtual closing for a $4.025 million loan from Aliya Sports brokered by Sure Sports, Davis impersonated Njoku while wearing makeup and a wig and presented a fake Georgia driver's license featuring a picture of Njoku with a number associated with a woman from Savannah, Georgia. At a March 31, 2024, closing for a $4.35 million loan from Aliya Sports, Davis impersonated McKinney while wearing a wig and provided a fake driver's license with a fabricated number. At a July 25, 2024, closing for a $3.3 million loan through All Pro Capital Funding arranged by Sure Sports, Davis impersonated Penix while wearing a durag and presented a fake Florida driver's license.

The criminal information filing detailed three of the thirteen loans, totaling $11.6 million, with the initials of the impersonated players. Evins is the founder and operator of Deed Chasers LLC, a Georgia-registered company that served as the registered agent for companies associated with professional football players.

In a separate November 2025 federal lawsuit in Indiana, First Farmers Bank & Trust Co. sued an insurer for not covering a fraudulent $5.265 million loan extended to a person impersonating Njoku. The bank discovered the fraud through a January 14, 2025, email from FBI Special Agent Christopher Maul, who informed the bank that the loan documents had not been signed by Njoku but by someone impersonating him using a fake driver's license.

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years. Davis was a member of the University of Alabama football team that won the national championship in January 2010, playing all 14 games that season.