Former NFL player Darryl ‘Buster’ Skrine was arrested in Georgia on Wednesday on 18 counts connected after financially exploiting women, according to authorities.
Skrine, 36, was booked on multiple charges, including deposit account fraud, identity fraud, financial transaction card fraud, theft by taking, and criminal attempt to commit theft.
His latest arrest comes over one year after he became a wanted fugitive in Canada on similar charges.
Roswell, Ga. police allege that the former defensive end targeted women through online dating platforms and asked them for money, claiming that he was struggling with financial troubles and promising to repay them with his NFL annuity.
Instead, investigators claim that Skrine, who is from Georgia, used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including financing Airbnbs, travel and gift cards.
Police have identified three victims in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and New York with losses totaling about $300,000. They believe there could be more located across the country with the investigation ongoing.
Former NFL player Darryl ‘Buster’ Skrine was arrested in Georgia on Wednesday
The retired cornerback allegedly went on the run from Canadian authorities last year
The former defensive end has been wanted by Canadian authorities since May 2024 after they claimed he missed a court date in his fraud case and removed his GPS monitor.
The former cornerback was arrested at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in August 2023 also on fraud-related charges. Skrine was accused of opening bank accounts with fraudulent checks and withdrawing $100,000.
However, after being released on bail under the condition that he wear a GPS monitor, Skrine failed to show to his court date in May of last year and his GPS reportedly went offline.
Roswell police said that they are working with Canadian authorities to ensure that Skrine answers for all the charges against him in both countries.
Skrine was a fifth-round pick out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2011. Over his career, he had stints with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans.
Skrine earned $40million in his 11-year NFL career before retiring in 2022. He last played in the NFL back in 2021 with the Titans.
Additionally, Skrine tallied 3.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, six forced fumbles, and 491 solo tackles in 157 games in the NFL.
