Former Alabama defensive end Luther Davis faces federal wire‑fraud and identity‑theft charges after prosecutors say he masqueraded as three NFL players to secure nearly $19.8 million in loans. The scheme, which ran from May 2023 to October 2024, used wigs, fake driver’s licenses and fabricated company paperwork to convince lenders they were dealing with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., former Browns tight end David Njappa Njoku and Packers safety Xavier McKinney.

Court filings detail how Davis and his partner CJ Evins created bogus email accounts, financial statements and even registered companies bearing the athletes’ names. In one instance, Davis appeared on a video conference dressed as Njoku to close a $4 million promissory note with Aliya Sports Finance. Similar ruses netted $4.4 million for a loan tied to McKinney and $3.3 million for Penix, each funded by lenders Sure Sports and All‑Pro Capital.

Plea hearings are set for April 27, with Evins reportedly planning to plead guilty. The case revives Davis’s earlier controversy as a 2007‑10 Alabama player who once facilitated illicit benefits for SEC athletes. Lenders have filed civil suits alleging negligence, while the criminal process moves toward potential guilty pleas, leaving the three players’ reputations entangled in the fallout.