Georgia Scammer Allegedly Strikes Again, Victimizing Pro Athletes From Behind Bars

From Prison to Phishing: A Repeat Offender's New Chapter

The Justice Department has brought new allegations against Kwamaine Jerell Ford, a 34-year-old man from Georgia, claiming he orchestrated a sophisticated phishing scheme targeting professional athletes while serving time in federal prison. Ford, who previously served time for similar scams, allegedly deceived NBA and NFL players by posing as an adult film star, convincing them to hand over access to their iCloud accounts.

Despite being incarcerated for a prior scam that involved stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities, Ford allegedly resumed his fraudulent activities, this time managing to conduct over 2,000 unauthorized transactions between November 2020 and September 2024. According to U.S. attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, "While serving time for stealing credit card numbers from athletes and celebrities to fund his lifestyle, Ford allegedly engaged in the same conduct again."

The Con Behind the Bars

Ford's tactics involved adopting the persona of a popular adult film model, tricking athletes into sharing sensitive information by promising explicit content over iCloud. Once they took the bait, Ford would send them phishing texts designed to mimic legitimate Apple communications, seeking their iCloud login and multifactor authentication codes.

“Ford clearly did not learn from his prior conviction for a similar scheme. This time, he allegedly escalated his criminal activity – stealing identities and money while also moving into coercion and sex trafficking,” commented Peter Ellis, acting special agent in charge at the FBI Atlanta office.

Prosecutors say that Ford's actions not only drained the athletes financially but also accessed their personal data, including driver’s licenses and credit card details, which he allegedly used for personal expenditures.

A New Twist: Coercion and Exploitation

Taking a darker turn, Ford is accused of involving an OnlyFans model in his scheme, claiming he could boost their career. This involved coercing the model into engaging with athletes for recorded commercial sex acts, without the athletes’ awareness or consent, and cashing in on the transactions. If the model resisted, Ford allegedly demanded money instead of the videos.

Prosecutors assert that Ford exploited these videos to lure additional athletes under false pretenses, perpetuating his cycle of deception and exploitation. This alleged scheme builds on his past crimes, with Ford having previously been sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 for computer fraud and identity theft, during which he hacked into over 100 Apple accounts of high-profile individuals.

Now facing 22 charges, Ford has pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody without bail, awaiting trial.