Fake 49ers Player Romance Case: FBI Says Dating-App Investment Scheme Took $1.3 Million From Women in Four States

Published Oct. 12, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Update, Oct. 19, 2026: A federal grand jury in Portland has indicted Daejon Labrayae Delenar Love on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Love was arraigned on Oct. 13, 2026, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered detained pending a jury trial set to begin Dec. 15, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office said [4]. The office's release refers only to "a co-conspirator," and the court docket lists the Oct. 8 indictment as to Love alone [5]; we found no indictment of Taylor Chan as of Oct. 19, 2026, and Chan's status below is otherwise unchanged. Love remains presumed innocent.

On Instagram, he was a San Francisco 49ers wide receiver. On dating apps, prosecutors say, he was sometimes a wealthy real estate investor. The FBI says neither was true, and that dozens of women who believed him sent money for investments that did not exist.

Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, are charged by criminal complaint in Portland, Oregon, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon announced [1]. Financial records show the pair received about $1.3 million from victims, according to prosecutors [1]. New court filings reported by The Oregonian on Oct. 7, 2026, describe how the FBI tracked them down and suggest the conduct may go back years further than first charged [3].

Important: A criminal complaint is only an accusation. Love and Chan have not been convicted and are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. No victims are named in this article.

How the scheme allegedly worked

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office [1]:

1. The meeting. Beginning in February 2022, Love met most of the women online through dating apps. Victims were in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
2. The persona. Love "falsely portrayed himself as legitimately wealthy, often as an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers or as a wealthy real estate investor," displaying a lavish lifestyle in person and on social media.
3. The romance. Prosecutors say Love had romantic relationships with many of the victims and told them he wanted to build wealth and a future together.
4. The "adviser." Chan allegedly posed as Love's financial adviser. Chan sent Love messages that appeared to urge him to invest in new opportunities, and Love shared screenshots of those messages with victims.
5. Fake proof. Love allegedly used phone apps to create fictitious bank and investment accounts and balances. Love and Chan also hosted three-way FaceTime calls showing victims "falsified investment gains."
6. Loans. If victims did not have cash, Love sometimes told them to take out personal loans, assuring them they would be repaid quickly.
7. The cutoff. "Once victims had no more money to invest, or if they asked too many questions, Love blocked communication with them, but kept their money," prosecutors said. None of the victims interviewed reported receiving any returns.

Prosecutors say Love used several names, including Jon Love, Daejon Love, Avril Lyto Love and Jordan Love [1].

The Los Angeles Times reported that Love posted a screenshot of an AI-generated search summary that wrongly identified him as a 49ers wide receiver, and then said on camera, "That's Google. That's not me, that's Google." [2]. The paper also reported that a woman told ESPN she had warned the 49ers about Love through the team's website in December 2025 [2].

The arrests and the investigation

Arrest warrants and the complaint were issued Aug. 17, 2026. On Aug. 24, the FBI and other officers arrested both men at the Boise Airport after Chan flew from California to meet Love, prosecutors said. Investigators believe Love was in Idaho to meet new victims [1].

The original release said 26 victims had been identified and that the FBI believed there were many more [1]. By late September, the FBI said 35 more women had come forward, bringing the number of alleged victims to more than 60, according to the Los Angeles Times. Investigators were still working to verify those reports [2].

The Oregonian reported on Oct. 7 that new court records show the FBI got warrants to examine six iCloud accounts the two men used and then obtained location data for four phone numbers women said they had used. The paper said the FBI now suspects Love was defrauding women since at least 2013 [3]. That is an investigative suspicion, not a charge.

"Our concern is that this fraud could be replicated by other individuals that are out there victimizing other people in similar schemes," Portland FBI Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson said, according to the Los Angeles Times [2].

The people charged

Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The Oregonian reported Oct. 7 that he had not yet appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Portland and remained in U.S. Marshals Service custody. The Oregon Federal Public Defender's Office represents him and declined to comment on the allegations, the paper reported [3].

Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, faces the same charges. According to The Oregonian, Chan denied the allegations when he appeared in court on Sept. 3 and remains out of custody pending trial [3]. (An earlier Los Angeles Times report, on Sept. 23, said both men remained in federal custody [2]; we have used the more recent report.)

Update, Oct. 19, 2026: The U.S. Attorney's Office said on Oct. 14 that a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Love with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He made his initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge on Tuesday, Oct. 13, was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin Dec. 15, 2026. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted. The office identified him as a Sacramento County, California, man [4]. The court docket shows the redacted indictment, filed Oct. 8, 2026, charges Love alone with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with a forfeiture allegation, and that at the Oct. 13 arraignment he entered a not-guilty plea and denied the forfeiture allegation. Chan, who was charged alongside Love in the August criminal complaint, is not listed on the indictment [5].

Neither man's city of residence was given in the U.S. Attorney's original August release. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Chinwuba and Chris Cardani are prosecuting the case [1].

Red flags of a romance-investment scam

• A new partner who is famous or very rich and whose status you can only confirm through their own posts, or through search results they show you.
• Investment talk early in the relationship, especially "opportunities" that only the partner or their adviser can access.
• An "adviser" who appears on cue to vouch for the investments.
• Screenshots of balances and gains in place of statements from a regulated firm you can call yourself.
• Being urged to take out loans to invest.
• Getting blocked when you ask questions or ask for money back.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Stop sending money, including "fees" to release supposed gains.
2. Check credentials independently. Look up any adviser on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's adviser database, and do not rely on a partner's word or screenshots.
3. Keep evidence: profiles, messages, screenshots, and payment and loan records.
4. Report it. The FBI asks anyone with information about Love or Chan to contact it at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI [1]. Other romance scams can be reported at ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 19, 2026)

Table updated Oct. 19, 2026; originally published as of Oct. 12, 2026.

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 19, 2026	Source
Daejon Labrayae (Delenar) Love, 35, Sacramento County, Calif.	U.S. District Court, District of Oregon (Portland)	Indicted by federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; arraigned Oct. 13, 2026, pleaded not guilty; detained; jury trial set Dec. 15, 2026. (As of Oct. 12: charged by criminal complaint; arrested Aug. 24, 2026; not yet arraigned in Portland.)	[1], [3], [4], [5]
Taylor Jamie Chan, 18	U.S. District Court, District of Oregon (Portland)	Charged by criminal complaint (same charges); arrested Aug. 24, 2026; denied the allegations at Sept. 3 appearance; out of custody pending trial per Oct. 7 report. Not listed on the Oct. 8, 2026, indictment of Love, per the court docket; no indictment of Chan found as of Oct. 19, 2026 (status pending)	[1], [3], [5]

Statuses can change. A complaint or indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, "Man Posing As San Francisco 49er Charged With Defrauding Over Two Dozen Women Out Of More Than $1.3 Million," Aug. 25, 2026 (via FlashAlert). https://flashalert.net/id/USAO-Oregon/190607
2. Los Angeles Times, "FBI case widens against man who posed as a 49ers wide receiver to allegedly defraud dozens of women," Sept. 23, 2026. https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2026-09-23/daejon-love-fraud-49ers-imposter-more-alleged-victims-boise-airport-arrest-ai-manipulation
3. The Oregonian/OregonLive, "FBI searches phones, iCloud accounts of accused fake NFL player; romance scam may have gone on for 10 years," Oct. 7, 2026. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/10/fbi-searches-phones-icloud-accounts-of-accused-fake-nfl-player-romance-scam-may-have-gone-on-for-10-years.html
4. U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, "Man Posing as San Francisco 49er Indicted in Wire Fraud Scheme," Oct. 14, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/man-posing-san-francisco-49er-indicted-wire-fraud-scheme
5. U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, docket, United States v. Love, No. 3:26-cr-00419 (via CourtListener), accessed Oct. 19, 2026. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74946984/united-states-v-love/

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