The former NFL linebacker was declared in Los Angeles for implementing a Ponzi scheme that scam his victims a $5.3 million fraud.
The Justice Department was sentenced to John Robert Leek, 43, of Plano, Texas, in two and a half years in federal prison, a former resident of Marina Del Rey.
Leak, who played for the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons from 2005 to 2007, ultimately received around $8,129,450 from six casualties during the Ponzi scheme, causing a total loss of $5,314,059, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ release stated that Leake ran the scheme from June 2015 to March 2020.
Leak falsely claimed the victim was involved in other ventures such as lucrative real estate investments, such as sublet luxury properties, and gold mines in Alaska and Ghana.
The former linebacker offered his victims the opportunity to lend him money to invest in these ventures.
In fact, Leak knew that these investment opportunities are often manufactured and nonexistent, and were conceived by hair removal, scamming the victims and tricking him into giving him money,” DOJ said in the release.
Leak also deceived his victims that he had invested a large amount of his money in a venture tolerated by the victims.
“The leaked lies to his victims included his claim that his business venture was successful, and he had accumulated considerable personal assets and income,” DOJ said. “In fact, Leake didn’t have enough personal assets and income to pay off the victim.”
If he has the victim’s money, the DOJ said Leake would unconsciously use some of the funds for personal use, such as credit card bills, car payments, rent and repay gambling expenses.
Leak also continued the victims of fraud and lulls by claiming “profit” and “capital” payments in the promise memo. The DOJ said he used a small amount of his own funds to make these payments.
The DOJ said Leake pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of wire fraud and one count of transaction money laundering.
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