SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — The FBI said dozens more women may have fallen victim to a man who allegedly pretended to be a San Francisco 49ers player in a romance fraud scheme.
The agency said it has made contact with 35 more women who may be victims.
Officials said there could be more women out there, and they want those potential victims to feel safe and comfortable enough to come forward.
The case stretches across multiple states.
“Victims in this case were targeted precisely because they were trusting, responsible people who believed they were building genuine relationships and legitimate financial futures,” Portland FBI special agent in charge Douglas Olson said.
### Charges and allegations
Daejon Love, a California native, is charged with scamming more than a dozen women out of more than $1 million.
The FBI said it has had contact with 35 new potential victims, all of them women, since the story unraveled. Officials believe there could be even more victims.
With the alleged help of his co-conspirator, 18-year-old Taylor Chan, investigators said the two used social media accounts and fake football workout videos to trick women into trusting them. They also used fake bank account statements showing millions of dollars, according to investigators.
### FBI addresses online reaction
“It has drawn a ton of attention from the public, and unfortunately, some of that attention has included jokes, mockery and commentary that unfairly targets and blames the victims in the case,” Olson said.
The FBI said it has seen the comments people are making on social media and does not want victims to feel scared to come forward.
“Victim blaming is unjust and it’s harmful, and it overlooks the calculated, highly manipulated lengths these individuals went to in order to deceive and exploit others,” Olson said.
### Where Love is from
Public records show Love has addresses in Stockton, Walnut Creek and Southern California.
“He grew up in that northern-central region of California,” Olson said.
The FBI said Love went as far as using AI to manipulate search results on Google, so a quick search would not scare away potential victims.
Thirty-five potential new victims came forward in the "fake 49ers" case.
“I think you can exercise some healthy skepticism, but also verify with other real people and individuals, not just on the internet,” Olson said.
### Custody and charges
Love and Chan are in federal custody in Idaho. They each face a count of wire fraud and a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If found guilty, they could get up to 40 years in prison.
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