A Georgia man is accused of posing as an OnlyFans star in an effort to run a phishing scam targeting NFL and NBA players.
Kwamaine Jerell Ford faces nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of computer fraud, one count of access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and one charge of sex trafficking, according to a Thursday, March 26, The Athletic report. Ford, 34, pleaded not guilty on all 22 charges on March 13. A judge ordered him to be held without bail pending trial, according to the outlet.
Ford was previously in prison for a similar phishing scheme in which he allegedly spent nearly $325,000 by using his victims’ stolen financial information. He was released in 2020 to serve the remainder of his sentence at home while wearing an ankle monitor due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is alleged to have begun his latest scam that same year.
This time, Ford allegedly obtained the login credentials for Apple accounts belonging to NBA and NFL players by impersonating a well-known adult film star and offering to send sexually explicit videos.
Prosecutors claim he then pretended to be an Apple customer support representative, asking his alleged victims for usernames, passwords or multi-factor authentication codes in order to access the videos.
“While serving time for stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his lifestyle, Ford allegedly engaged in the same conduct again,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement to The Athletic. “Disturbingly, the indictment alleges that Ford went even further and used a fraudulent online persona to allegedly traffic a young woman and coerce her to produce hidden camera videos of commercial sex acts with unknowing individuals.”
The NFLPA added in a memo obtained by The Athletic that in 2021, Ford also allegedly lured athletes into having sex with an OnlyFans creator and filmed the alleged encounters without their knowledge. He allegedly negotiated payments and coordinated travel for the athletes while promising to advance the creator’s modeling career.
He was released from custody in 2022.
“Kwamaine Ford clearly did not learn from his prior conviction for a similar scheme,” Peter Ellis, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta office, added. “This time, he allegedly escalated his criminal activity — stealing identities and money while also moving into coercion and sex trafficking. The FBI’s dedicated agents remain committed to staying ahead of schemes like this and protecting the public from individuals who exploit and harm others for personal gain.”
