Arrests and criminal allegations
Daejon Love and 18-year-old Taylor Jamie Chan were arrested by the FBI in Boise on Aug. 24 and now face federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, federal filings show.
Federal investigators allege Love maintained a fabricated football identity beginning in 2022 as part of romance and investment schemes that targeted roughly 26 women, who collectively lost about $1.3 million. Authorities say he acquired customized San Francisco 49ers equipment, posed with prop money, produced fake financial documents and created bogus Instagram highlight reels to support the false narrative of an NFL career.
Officials contend Love promised to invest money provided by victims and instead pocketed the funds; prosecutors say those actions form the basis of the criminal case and warn the charges carry significant prison exposure.
Public reactions: E-40's warning and Tyreek Hill's joke
Reaction from public figures has been swift. Rapper E-40 visited TMZ and directly addressed the story, warning that if he — "Water" or "40 Water" — does not know someone who claims to be a 49er, then "he's not a Niner." E-40 added that people "should have asked me before they gave him the money or whatever and all the scamming s***," criticizing the victims' failure to vet the claims, TMZ reported.
Meanwhile, Tyreek Hill took a lighter tone. Complex reported Hill posted a TikTok in which he jokingly called Love his "bestie" and quipped that the two train together, a response to a viral clip in which Love named Hill among purported NFL friends. Complex also noted the clip reportedly used by Love to bolster his claims had surpassed 2 million views on X.
Complex's reporting includes details from the criminal complaint that Love allegedly used supposed NFL connections — naming current players and claiming offseason workouts with NFL personnel — as part of the pitch to victims. Those assertions are part of the investigators' account of how the scheme was presented to potential targets.
The FBI complaint and subsequent charges form the center of an ongoing federal investigation. As prosecutors build their case, public figures connected to the story have alternated between scorn and satire — E-40 urging common-sense checks, Hill defusing the episode with a social-media joke — while authorities pursue criminal accountability for the alleged fraud.
