Nfl’s No 1 Draft Pick Cam Ward Victim Of Identity Theft In $250,000 Scheme

Two group equipped pinch a number of mendacious identities managed to fraudulently get a 4th of a cardinal dollars’ worthy of loans successful nan sanction of Cam Ward, nan backmost of nan National Football League’s Tennessee Titans, according to authorities.

Albert Weber, 42, and Cyntrelle Lash, 39, are facing charges of personality theft, slope fraud and forgery aft their arrests successful a lawsuit whose victims allegedly see nan first wide prime successful nan 2025 NFL draft, his begetter and nan business that loaned retired nan money successful question, said Capt Jason Rivarde of nan sheriff’s agency successful Jefferson parish, Louisiana, extracurricular New Orleans.

While attempts to interaction Lash for remark were unsuccessful, Weber vehemently denied wrongdoing, suggesting nan actions attributed to him were carried retired by personification other who falsely assumed his identity.

The lawsuit successful immoderate arena highlights really progressively communal fraud involving master athletes has go amid rises successful their endorsement and net income, arsenic highlighted by a 2021 report from world accounting and consulting patient EY.

As Rivarde put it, opening successful March, Weber and Lash worked together to unafraid aggregate loans cumulatively worthy astatine slightest $250,000 successful nan sanction of Ward, whose four-year rookie statement pinch nan Titans is reportedly worthy astir $48.7m. Investigators wished that nan brace of Jefferson parish residents utilized a web of mendacious identities to person an out-of-state business to indebtedness retired nan money, Rivarde said successful an question and reply connected Tuesday.

Rivarde added that Weber is said to person moreover posed arsenic Ward’s father, Calvin, astatine slightest erstwhile while signing notarized documents successful personification aimed astatine obtaining nan loaned money.

Weber and Lash yet drew scrutiny from investigators – and connected 16 May, they were arrested astatine a shopping halfway successful nan Jefferson parish organization of Harvey, wherever they had planned to be a gathering meant to facilitate their obtaining nan loans, Rivarde said.

Both were subsequently released from custody connected bail. Court hearings for Weber and Lash were tentatively scheduled, respectively, for early November and mid-December.

In an question and reply connected Tuesday, Calvin Ward recounted first being called by nan Jefferson parish sheriff’s agency while attending an arena for NFL rookies and their families earlier his boy was drafted by nan Titans successful April. An interrogator – whom he concisely thought was a prankster – informed him personification had put 2 liens connected his location successful Texas, which had been afloat paid, said Calvin Ward, a erstwhile assemblage shot player.

Calvin Ward subsequently learned that a backstage in installments money based successful California had extended 2 high-interest loans to group pretending to beryllium him and his boy – contempt lacking their societal information aliases driver’s licence numbers. The lender’s president apparently brimmed pinch pridefulness erstwhile he saw nan NFL draught and believed he had seen 1 of his clients get chosen No 1 overall.

The fraudsters besides convinced nan fund’s president that his boy would yet person a signed helmet from Cam Ward arsenic a gift, said lawyer Josh Clayton, who represents nan backmost and his family.

“It’s scary,” Calvin Ward said. He said his family had taken steps to frost Cam Ward’s in installments erstwhile he vanished playing collegiately astatine nan University of Miami because they had heard that personification who walked into a slope impersonating an NFL rookie nan erstwhile twelvemonth had managed to get a hefty indebtedness successful that athlete’s name.

However, Calvin Ward remarked, thing had prepared him for “a dense dose of really easy it is for personification to put a lien connected your location without you knowing astir it”.

Lenders spot liens connected homes to summation nan expertise to declare a spot to salary disconnected debts successful cases of default. In nan Wards’ case, nan lender released nan liens instantly upon learning it was each a ruse, Clayton said.

“My connection is beryllium arsenic vigilant arsenic you tin pinch your [finances],” Calvin Ward said. “There’s schemers and scammers retired there, and they’re ever trying to put a scheme successful action.”

Records show Jefferson parish deputies seized a 2018 Bentley Bentayga from Weber aft his arrest.

He subsequently revenge documents asking that he beryllium fixed backmost nan Bentayga, contending that nan conveyance – whose original guidelines value connected Carfax is listed astatine $195,000 – “could not beryllium of immoderate evidentiary worth concerning [his] existent charges”. That petition remained unresolved connected Tuesday.

Also connected Tuesday, Weber based on that personification from extracurricular Louisiana had unduly utilized his sanction successful dealings involving Cam Ward.

“A personification was coating themselves arsenic me, but … it was not me,” Weber said erstwhile reached by telephone. “It was a misunderstanding. I don’t cognize what’s going on.”

Weber past insisted nan lawsuit against him had been dismissed, and that to study connected it would defame his character.

Informed of those comments, Rivarde said nan lawsuit against Weber was “100% still open”. The lawsuit was besides listed successful Jefferson parish’s online tribunal strategy arsenic active.

Weber said he and Lash were friends. Social media accounts nether their names coming some arsenic businesspeople.

At slightest 1 of Weber’s accounts allude to his past arsenic a dressed up precocious schoolhouse hoops subordinate who past played nan athletics for nan men’s squad astatine nan University of Alabama during nan 2004-05 campaign, arsenic a 6ft 3in, 195lb shooting guard.

The lawsuit against Lash and Weber is 1 of 2 salient matters precocious handled by nan Jefferson sheriff’s agency that progressive an NFL player.

Earlier successful October, nan agency said 2 suspects had been arrested and different brace were being sought aft a burglary astatine nan location of New Orleans Saints subordinate Cam Jordan. The break-in occurred while Jordan was astatine a game, and it appeared to beryllium 1 of a drawstring of cases crossed nan US targeting master athletes while they were distant from their homes competing.