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FBI arrests fake 49er accused of scamming women out of $1.3 million via dating apps

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Two men, including one accused of posing as a San Francisco 49ers player, are under arrest for allegedly defrauding dozens of women out of more than $1.3 million in a scheme that lasted over four years.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon said in an announcement that Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, targeted victims via dating apps and social media beginning in February 2022 and lasting through their arrest on Monday. They are each facing one count of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, all felonies. Investigators said they have identified 26 victims of the plot.

According to an affidavit filed last week, Love and Chan conspired to create fake financial documents that appeared to show they had earned millions of dollars via investments they never made. Love would allegedly find women online and attempt to convince them to send money to him or Chan, who he claimed was his financial advisor. Love allegedly told the women that Chan had a secret investment algorithm that had made him more than $30 million.

A core part of the scheme, investigators said, was that Love presented himself to victims as an active 49ers wide receiver to project the image that he was wealthy. Court documents show screenshots of Instagram posts Love allegedly made in which he donned 49ers equipment while pretending to train, at one point faking a contract signing for a video. In other cases, Love stole posts from actual NFL players and posted them as his own.

“Some victims became suspicious of Love and searched for Love’s information through the Internet,” the affidavit said. “Due to Love’s false social media representations, search engines and artificial intelligence occasionally stated that Love was a bona fide 49ers player. In January 2026, investigators entered Love’s first and last name in search engines and found that results did, in fact, sometimes depict Love as a player for the 49ers.”

Both the NFL and the 49ers told authorities Love had no connection to them. Attorneys for Love and Chan were not immediately available to comment when contacted Friday.

The affidavit said Love used a variety of aliases to conceal his true identity, at times posing as Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love or claiming the two were related. His other alleged aliases included Jon Love and Avril Lyto Love. He also told some women he was a real estate investor from a wealthy Swiss family.

“Love spent over $1,160 at Green Gridiron, a website specializing in custom football helmets. Love purchased from Prop Money Inc., a company which sells realistic fake money for movies. Love also made purchases from Useviral.com and Buzzoid, companies that sell followers, likes, and views for social media accounts,” the affidavit said. “Investigators believe these purchases were made to enhance Love’s online appearance and alleged social standing in furtherance of the scheme.”

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love stands with his hands on his hips during preseason practice.

Daejon Love is accused of pretending he was related to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, though the two share no relationship. (John Fisher / Getty Images)

In many cases, Love allegedly developed romantic relationships with the women while telling them he wanted to invest with them so they could build lives together. He would then use apps such as Fake Bank Account Pro, which allow users to create fake bank accounts. Privately, he mocked them with Chan, who was 14 when the scheme began, and complained about having to maintain those relationships.

One victim, identified in the documents as A.T., said she dated Love for nearly a year before realizing she was being scammed. The affidavit said she lost more than $87,000 to Love and Chan via fake investments and vehicle leases she paid for, among other things. Another, identified as G.H., said Love threatened her with physical violence when she refused to send him her savings.

When other targets said they didn’t have enough money for Love’s supposed investments, he allegedly pressured them to take out personal loans that he left them unable to pay. Love would then block the victims and keep the stolen money. Authorities said they found no evidence Love had any legitimate source of income.

FBI agents arrested Love and Chan at the Boise Airport in Idaho while they were allegedly on their way to meet with new targets. The bureau is requesting anyone else potentially impacted by the scheme to come forward, as it “believes there are many more victims.”

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How to watch Rockies vs. Braves: TV channel and streaming options for August 28

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The Atlanta Braves carry a four-game winning streak into a home matchup versus the Colorado Rockies at 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday. Grant Holmes (8-5, 3.64 ERA) gets the start for the Braves, who are 79-55 this season and first in the NL East. Tomoyuki Sugano (12-7, 4.96 ERA) is expected to start for the Rockies, who are 52-82 and fifth in the NL West.

How to watch Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves

Rockies vs. Braves odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Braves -227
  • Underdog Moneyline: Rockies +185
  • Total: 9
  • Total Over Odds: -110
  • Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Braves

Reynaldo López: 15 Day IL (Knee), Robert Suarez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Strider: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Schwellenbach: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joey Wentz: 60 Day IL (Knee), Joe Jimenez: 60 Day IL (Knee)

Rockies

Kyle Freeland: 15 Day IL (Neck), Sean Sullivan: 15 Day IL (Undisclosed), Chase Dollander: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kris Bryant: 60 Day IL (Back), José Quintana: 60 Day IL (Elbow), McCade Brown: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), RJ Petit: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Welinton Herrera: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Pierson Ohl: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kyle Karros: 7 Day IL (Concussion)

Stats to know

  • Atlanta’s Matt Olson is slashing .259/.335/.535 this season with 37 home runs (2nd in MLB), 78 RBIs (19th in MLB) and an OPS of .870 (14th in MLB). He has a 25.3% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate in 582 plate appearances, and he has scored 92 total runs.
  • In 571 plate appearances, Ozzie Albies is hitting .256/.310/.418 with a .728 OPS. He has hit 20 long balls, driven in 67 runs and scored 74 times.
  • Jake McCarthy has hit 13 home runs this season. He has also tallied 68 RBIs and has scored 63 runs. In 471 plate appearances, he has recorded a .290 BA, .330 OBP and .475 SLG with a 5.1% walk rate and a 17% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 24 steals on 28 attempts.
  • In 526 plate appearances, TJ Rumfield has slashed .289/.380/.441 this season. He has hit 13 long balls and driven in 60 runs with a strikeout rate of 14.1% and a walk rate of 11.2%. and has scored 55 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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How to watch Diamondbacks vs. Giants: TV channel and streaming options for August 28

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The San Francisco Giants host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 10:15 p.m. ET on Friday. Kohl Drake (0-1, 5.40 ERA) gets the start for the Diamondbacks, who are 71-64 this season and third in the NL West. Blade Tidwell (0-0, 3.58 ERA) is expected to start for the Giants, who are 55-79 and fourth in the NL West.

How to watch Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants

Diamondbacks vs. Giants odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Diamondbacks -118
  • Underdog Moneyline: Giants -102
  • Total: 8
  • Total Over Odds: -110
  • Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Diamondbacks

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: 10 Day IL (Adductor), Tommy Troy: 10 Day IL (Shoulder), Ketel Marte: 10 Day IL (Knee), Ryan Thompson: 15 Day IL (Back), Mike Soroka: 15 Day IL (Arm), A.J. Puk: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Cristian Mena: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Blake Walston: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ryne Nelson: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Zac Gallen: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Corbin Burnes: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Andrew Saalfrank: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Nolan Arenado: day-to-day (Side)

Giants

Casey Schmitt: 10 Day IL (Leg), Willy Adames: 10 Day IL (Back), Marcelo Mayer: 10 Day IL (Forearm), Víctor Bericoto: 10 Day IL (Knee), Jesús Rodríguez: 10 Day IL (Elbow), Adrian Houser: 15 Day IL (Forearm), J.T. Brubaker: 15 Day IL (Ribs), Keaton Winn: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Harrison Bader: 60 Day IL (Plantar fasciitis), Hayden Birdsong: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Randy Rodriguez: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joel Peguero: 60 Day IL (Hamstring), Matt Gage: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Trevor McDonald: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jose Butto: 60 Day IL (Arm), Rowan Wick: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Matt Chapman: 60 Day IL (Leg), Daniel Susac: 60 Day IL (Knee), Carson Whisenhunt: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jung Hoo Lee: day-to-day (Undisclosed)

Stats to know

  • Arizona’s Corbin Carroll has hit 18 home runs this season. He has also tallied 58 RBIs and has scored 81 runs. In 567 plate appearances, he has recorded a .247 BA, .344 OBP and .481 SLG with an 11.6% walk rate and a 21.9% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 20 steals on 23 attempts.
  • In 562 plate appearances, Geraldo Perdomo has slashed .254/.362/.376 this season. He has hit nine long balls and driven in 46 runs with a strikeout rate of 12.5% and a walk rate of 13.9%. He has 18 stolen bases on 27 attempts. He has come around to score 61 times.
  • San Francisco’s Rafael Devers is slashing .248/.326/.486 this season with 29 home runs (11th in MLB), 76 RBIs and an OPS of .812. He has a 25.5% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate in 568 plate appearances, and he has scored 75 total runs.
  • In 493 plate appearances, Jung Hoo Lee has posted a 9.9% strikeout rate and a 4.3% walk rate while slashing .289/.327/.423 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs and 59 runs scored. He has stolen 10 bases on 11 attempts.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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Serbian soccer club faces UEFA charges over banners glorifying late war criminal Ratko Mladic

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UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings into Serbian club Crvena Zvezda over banners appearing to glorify the former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who died on Thursday.

The club, who play in the Serbian capital and have also been known as Red Star Belgrade, posted images on its social media feeds of its fans holding up banners during Thursday’s Europa League game against Viktoria Plzen stating: “General, eternal glory and thanks”.

Chants of Mladic’s name were also reported during the match.

Mladic, 84, passed away earlier on Thursday. He was called the “Butcher of Bosnia” and was held responsible for Europe’s deadliest massacre since World War II, when 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995.

When his life sentence was confirmed in 2017, the presiding judge, Alphons Orie, said Mladic’s crimes ranked “among the most heinous known to humankind.”

Mladic died in custody in The Hague, the Netherlands, which houses convicts for international war crimes tribunals.

On Friday, European football’s governing body UEFA said in a statement to The Athletic it had opened disciplinary proceedings on three counts against the Serbian club, including “racist and/or discriminatory behaviour”, “transmitting a message that is not fit for a sports event” and “improper conduct of the team.”

The Srebrenica Memorial Center, which commemorates the 1995 genocide, contacted UEFA following the match to say that the banners could not be “reduced to the behaviour of fans.”

The statement, which is covered in the Bosnian media and has been verified by The Athletic, said: “A club that consciously uses its official communication channels to spread messages glorifying a man legally convicted of genocide cannot reduce such behavior to the behavior of fans.”

The statement added: “This is no longer just a question of the fans, but of the club’s institutional relationship to the values ​​on which UEFA bases European football.”

Mladic in the defendant box at the Hague wearing a suit

Mladic lost a final appeal against his conviction in 2021 (Peter Dejong / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

The Srebrenica Memorial Center and Crvena Zvezda have been contacted for comment.

Crvena lost Thursday’s match in Czech Republic 5-1, meaning they missed out on a spot in this season’s Europa League and will drop into the Conference League, European football’s third-tier competition.

Crvena are Serbia’s most successful club, having won a record 37 national league titles — across the former Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and modern-day Serbia — and won the 1991 European Cup.

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