Daejon Labrayae Love has been pictured for the first time in a menacing mugshot following his arrest for allegedly swindling $1.3 million from dozens of women.
The 35-year-old was taken into custody in Idaho last week. He is accused of posing as a player for the San Francisco 49ers to defraud women he met on internet dating applications.
In a booking photograph obtained by the Daily Mail, Love is seen wearing a standard issue orange jail top. He stares directly at the camera with pursed lips and heavily furrowed eyebrows.
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League, the highest level of professional football in the world. Playing for an NFL franchise brings significant wealth, public prestige, and celebrity status, which authorities claim Love utilized to gain the implicit trust of his victims.
Federal wire fraud charges
A federal criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court in Portland, Oregon, outlines the serious charges against Love and his alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Taylor Jamie Chan. Both individuals have been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States that involves utilizing telecommunications or the internet to execute a scheme to defraud another person of money or property. Because the alleged crimes crossed state lines, the case falls under the jurisdiction of federal authorities rather than local police.
The Department of Justice announced that Love and Chan were arrested at an airport in Boise, Idaho. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that Chan was flying from California to Boise on August 24 in order to meet Love.
Love was reportedly in Idaho specifically to meet new potential victims. Law enforcement officers swooped in and apprehended both suspects simultaneously at the airport terminal.
Prosecutors are now pushing a judge to keep the alleged fraudster detained behind bars while the legal process unfolds. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, prosecutors argue that the evidence against Love is strong. They stated in their filing that Love has 'every incentive to flee.'
Dating app investment scheme
The criminal complaint alleges that the coordinated scheme began in February 2022. Love and Chan are accused of creating fake investment opportunities to target women across the western United States, specifically in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California.
Love allegedly initiated contact with the vast majority of the women through online dating platforms, such as Tinder. These mobile applications allow users to swipe through photographs and match with people in their local geographic area to arrange dates.
Court documents detail an interaction with one specific woman who met Love on Tinder in March of 2025. After the two went on a date, Love began asking 'about her financial situation and if she was interested in investing.'
Love eventually convinced the woman to send him $17,200. The federal complaint noted the ultimate outcome of this financial transaction.
'[The woman] did not receive any confirmation of the investments,' the complaint said. 'When [the woman] asked Love about the investments, Love stopped communicating with her.'
Authorities say Love utilized several aliases to perpetuate the widespread fraud, operating under the names Jon Love, Avril Lyto Love, and Jordan Love.
Fake NFL connections
To legitimize his athletic persona, Love allegedly lied to at least one woman by claiming he was related to Jordan Love. The real Jordan Love is the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, one of the most historic and widely recognized franchises in the NFL.
Furthermore, Love falsely claimed to have personal relationships with prominent professional wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown, and John Brown. He told his victims that he had exercised and trained alongside these elite athletes.
The court filing says Love also claimed to have received 'invitations to try out with NFL teams' before he eventually 'chose' to sign with the 49ers.
Love allegedly flaunted fake bank accounts and investment balances to convince victims the scheme was legitimate. He also used social media to show off a lavish lifestyle, sharing a host of videos claiming he was part of the San Francisco 49ers and posting an artificial intelligence generated overview stating he was a wide receiver for the franchise. A wide receiver is an offensive position in American football primarily responsible for catching passes.
Coordinated financial deception
Chan allegedly played the role of Love's personal financial adviser. Authorities say this was done to gain the trust of the victims and to professionally talk them through the details of the prospective investments.
The pair allegedly exchanged fabricated investment related text messages, which Love would then screenshot and forward to the women to convince them to part with their money.
They also hosted three way video calls using FaceTime, Apple's video communication service. During these calls, Chan and Love displayed falsified financial gains to the victims to maintain the illusion of success.
In addition to sending money they believed was being invested in the market, victims also loaned Love large amounts of cash directly. If a woman did not have liquid money to invest, Love allegedly instructed her to take out personal bank loans, promising that the debts would quickly get repaid.
Once the victims had no more money to give, or if they began asking too many questions about their funds, Love allegedly blocked their accounts and communications while keeping their money.
Financial records indicate that Love and Chan received approximately $1.3 million from their victims. While 26 victims have been officially identified and interviewed by authorities so far, none have received any returns on their investments. The FBI believes there are far more victims who have not yet been located.
Social media reaction
In the days since the alleged swindle was publicly uncovered, internet users on social media have ruthlessly mocked Love and his fake ties to professional football.
Actual members of the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff and former players have even joined in the jokes. Leonard Hankerson, the team's current passing game coach, used artificial intelligence software to create a fake image of Love standing next to him on the practice field.
Kendrick Bourne, a former pass catcher for San Francisco, went to the comments section of the post to weigh in on the fabricated image, writing, 'Man I knew you was coaching him [laughing emojis].'
Hankerson replied to Bourne with a sarcastic compliment regarding Love's completely fictional football abilities.
'Man I hate we lost him.... He was balling!!!' Hankerson wrote.
Other social media users have created similar fake images of themselves signing lucrative professional football contracts or practicing on the field to join the viral internet dogpile surrounding the case.
