A woman who claims to have been targeted by alleged NFL fraudster, Daejon Love, claims she warned the San Francisco 49ers about him – eight months before he was arrested.
Love, alongside his alleged accomplice, Taylor Chan, is accused of duping dozens of women by pretending to be a 49ers player. They were arrested on August 24 and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to the authorities, the pair defrauded women out of around $1.3 million after Love used dating apps to target women by claiming to be a 49ers player or a real estate investor.
Since his arrest, the FBI claims to have identified 35 more potential victims.
ESPN said that last week, a 49ers source insisted the team were not made aware of Love before the FBI reached out back in August.
Now, though, Gwen Herndon has claimed that she filed a complaint about Love to the 49ers back in December.
Daejon Love is accused of duping dozens of women by pretending to be a 49ers player
He allegedly used dating apps to target women by claiming to be a 49ers player or a real estate investor
ESPN reports that she told the team about a federal investigation into Love, detailing his alleged crimes and warning San Francisco that ‘he is severely damaging the reputation of your team.’
‘I wanted you to be aware of the situation and hopefully proactive in denouncing his involvement on your team,’ she wrote, per ESPN.
A week later, she was reportedly contacted by a guest services account of Levi’s Stadium which said it ‘appreciated’ Herndon for ‘bringing this to our attention’ and advised her to contact law enforcement.
‘Our internal team will also monitor any instances of impersonation and take action as appropriate to protect fans and the team’s reputation. Thank you again for your vigilance and concern for the Niners community,’ the email continued, per ESPN.
The Daily Mail has contacted the San Francisco 49ers for comment.
The FBI in Portland said it began its investigation into Love back in September 2024 and special agent in charge Doug Olson insisted last week that the 49ers were ‘completely cooperative’ and ‘very helpful’ in the investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, Love and Chan – beginning in February 2022 – allegedly created fake investment opportunities to defraud women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
It’s claimed Love initiated contact with most of the women through online dating apps while Chan would pose as Love’s financial adviser to gain their victims’ trust and talk victims through prospective investments.
Love allegedly also created fake bank and investment accounts and balances, which he would flaunt to victims in an effort to legitimize the alleged scheme.
Love is accused of conning at least 26 women out of $1.3 million and remains in custody
Love posted an AI overview claiming he was a wide receiver for the NFL franchise
The pair allegedly also exchanged investment-related messages, in which Chan played the role of Love’s investment advisor. Love allegedly would screenshot Chan’s messages and send them to victims to convince them to part with their money.
The pair also hosted three-way FaceTime calls in which they displayed falsified gains to victims, according to the criminal complaint.
As well as sending money they thought was being invested, victims also loaned Love large amounts. If they didn’t have money to invest, Love allegedly instructed victims to take out personal loans with the promise they would quickly get repaid.
Once they had no more money to invest, or if they asked too many questions, Love allegedly blocked his victims but kept their money.
He used several names including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love, and Jordan Love, according to the criminal complaint.
