A former NFL player who earned $40 million over the course of his football career conned women from dating sites by growing close to them, then pretending to have financial issues, authorities said.
Darryl “Buster” Skrine, who spent the majority of his career with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, is facing 18 charges in connection with what Georgia police are calling an “extensive financial fraud scheme.”
Officers with the Roswell Police Department said they received a report in July from a woman who accused Skrine of financially exploiting her.
“Investigators learned that Skrine had been targeting multiple women through online dating platforms,” police wrote in a news release Aug. 27. “Once he had established a relationship with them, Skrine would tell the victims a fictitious story about his financial troubles and ask them for money, promising to repay them from his NFL annuity.”
Sports website Spotrac lists Skrine’s total earnings from 2011 to 2022 as over $40 million. He earned $25 million across four seasons with the Jets alone. He also played for the Chicago Bears, and finished his career with the Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN.
Skrine is accused of swindling three women from North Carolina, New York and Wisconsin out of a combined$300,000 to fund a “lavish lifestyle.” Police said he spent their money on travel, Airbnb stays and gift cards.
In addition to his charges in Georgia, Skrine is also a fugitive from Canada, stemming from a $100,000 check fraud scheme, police said.
He was arrested in August 2023 at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on fraud charges, according to the Durham Regional Police Service. In April 2024, he was transferred to a different correctional facility and granted bail on the condition he wear a GPS monitor, police said.
He skipped a court date in May 2024, cut off his ankle monitor and fled to the U.S., according to authorities.
Police in Georgia said they will work to ensure Skrine faces justice in Canada and the U.S.
Skrine’s charges in Georgia are:
Five counts of FTC fraud
Five counts of identity fraud
Three counts of deposit account fraud
Three counts of criminal attempt — theft by taking
Two counts of theft by taking
Investigators suspect there may be other victims and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Roswell is a suburb north of Atlanta.