NFL player agents have received a memo from the union notifying them about a fraud and sex-trafficking ring that targeted professional football and basketball players, the Daily Mail has learned.
That memo, first reported by Pro Football Talk, came in response to the recent indictment of Kwamaine Jerell Ford. The 34-year-old Georgia man is facing a number of federal charges, including nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of computer fraud, one count of access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Ford allegedly posed as an adult film star in an attempt to dupe athletes into revealing passwords and other sensitive information. PFT specifically reported Ford posed as the porn actress ‘Teanna Trump.’ The real performer working under that name is not accused of any wrongdoing or believed to have any connection to this case.
Furthermore, Ford is also accused of trafficking a young woman and coercing her to produce secretly recorded videos of commercial sex acts with unknowing individuals between 2020 and 2024.
‘The FBI has advised that Kwamaine Jerell Ford, posing as a female adult film star, lured athletes into providing sensitive information,’ read the memo published by PFT. ‘This individual was supposedly able to access many athletes’ iCloud accounts and stole victim information including credit cards.
‘Additionally, this individual posing as an adult film star, lured athletes into having sex with an adult female OnlyFans creator, being filmed without their knowledge or consent.’
Ford allegedly posed as Teanna Trump (pictured) who has no personal connection to the case
Ford’s mugshot is unavailable as the Department of Justice does not obtain or provide booking photos.
The NFL and NBA players who are believed to have been ensnared by the scheme have not been identified publicly. They are identified in the indictment only by their initials. The memo also included a link agents can use to determine if their clients were victimized in the alleged scheme.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Ford’s attorney.
The 34-year-old defendant was previously convicted of computer fraud and aggravated identity theft over a similar $325,000 scheme in 2019. Prosecutors now say he began working on his next scheme while behind bars in 2020.
Allegedly posing online as an adult film star, Ford is accused of offering to send sexually explicit photos to pro athletes.
Then, having successfully spoofed Apple customer service accounts, Ford would solicit usernames, passwords and authentication codes from victims in exchange for access to the promised pornographic photos, according to the indictment.
NFL players who are alleged to have been ensnared by the scheme haven’t been identified
Ford allegedly tricked dozens of victims into divulging their log-in credentials, which he’s accused of using to obtain credit and debit card information.
‘While serving time for stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his lifestyle, Ford allegedly engaged in the same conduct again,’ US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a press release.
The DOJ further claims that in May of 2021, Ford posed as a porn star to recruit and coerce a female victim into engaging in sex work with pro athletes. Ford allegedly promised the woman it would advance her modelling career.
‘Disturbingly, the indictment alleges that Ford went even further and used a fraudulent online persona to traffic a young woman and coerce her to produce hidden camera videos of commercial sex acts with unknowing individuals,’ Hertzberg said.
Ford then advertised the victim to athletes, coordinated her travel with the men, and negotiated payments in exchange for sex, according to the DOJ’s press release. He is also accused of using other fraudulent personas to threaten and further coerce the woman into complying with this scheme.
The DOJ claims the woman recorded many of the sexual encounters with athletes at Ford’s insistence. The athletes were allegedly unaware they were being recorded.
