ROSWELL, GA — Retired NFL cornerback Darryl "Buster" Skrine has been arrested after authorities accused him of defrauding women he met online and using their money to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Roswell police on Wednesday announced multiple fraud charges against Skrine, a 36-year-old Woodstock native, and said he is also wanted on similar charges in Canada.
The investigation against Skrine started in July, when a woman told authorities he financially exploited her. Authorities said they then determined Skrine used online dating platforms to target multiple women.
He would build a relationship with them, falsely tell them a story of his financial woes and request money from them with promises he would use his NFL annuity to repay them, authorities said.
Skrine would use the money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included Airbnbs, travel and gift cards, authorities said.
As of Wednesday, authorities said they have found three women who were victimized by Skrine living in Wisconsin, North Carolina and New York.
Combined, the woman lost about $300,000, authorities said, adding they suspect there were more women who were targeted.
On Wednesday morning, authorities said Roswell detectives served searched and arrest warrants at Skrine's Pine Grove Road home. He was arrested without incident on 18 charges of deposit account fraud, identity fraud, financial transaction card fraud, theft by taking and criminal attempt to commit theft, authorities said.
The Georgia charges are a continuation of legal troubles for the former NFL player. He was arrested for charges related to $100,000 in check fraud in August 2023 at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada, according to Roswell police and the Durham (Canada) Regional Police Service.
After receiving bail in April 2024, authorities said he removed GPS monitoring that had been imposed onto him and fled to the U.S.
The day of April 9, 2024, he was taken to a Saskatchewan Correctional Centre from an Ontario Correctional Centre to face more fraud charges, according to Durham Regional Police.
Three days later, the Saskatchewan court granted him bail with conditions that included the GPS monitoring and a mandate to return to Durham Region for court, authorities said. Skrine never made the May 6, 2024 court date, and his GPS went offline, authorities said.
Charges for failure to appear and fail to comply with release order were then issued against Skrine, authorities said.
Skrine's NFL career began when he was picked 137th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, according to a past report from the San Francisco 49ers.
After three years with the Browns, Skrine went on to spend three years with the New York Jets, one year with the Chicago Bears and another year with the 49ers.
He ended his career after the 2021 season with the Tennessee Titans, according to his ESPN profile.
As a college player, he started in 30 of the 42 games he appeared in during his time at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the 49ers said.