Fake NFL player scam leads to $3.6 million lawsuit against Maryland lender

Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun on Jul 9, 2026

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — A scam that tricked lenders into disbursing millions of dollars to people posing as professional athletes has initiated a federal court battle in Maryland.

Filed on June 25 by All Pro Capital Funding, the lawsuit accuses James Plack and his company, South River Capital, of failing to vet a bogus client before their $3.3 million loan was approved.

According to the 10-page complaint, All Pro’s July 2024 decision to advance the six-figure sum was based on Plack’s “repeated assurances” that they were working with Michael Penix Jr., the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.

Instead, the money was forwarded to a Chase Bank account in the name of an impostor, who soon “absconded with the amounts paid,” according to the complaint.

Attempts to retrieve the stolen money have failed, the lawsuit states, adding that while South River has agreed to reimburse the fees it got from the transaction, All Pro’s “repeated inquiries” following up have not been answered.

The June case is the latest legal confrontation of Plack’s career.

The former CEO of American Bank, Plack was barred from the banking industry in 2015 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency accused him of violating regulations, breaching his fiduciary and making unsound banking practices.

His ability to work in commercial loans, hoping to expedite the lending process for wealthy clients, is not affected by the OCC matter.

In an interview Thursday, Plack told The Baltimore Sun that the issues with All Pro represent only $3.3 million in what was ultimately a $20 million scheme. As for the brokerage fee, Plack said the companies have “not been able to come to an agreement.”

“This is a very unfortunate thing,” he said of the scam. “There’s a lot of victims involved.”

In late April, Luther Davis and CJ Evins pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for the athlete scam. According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, the defendants made bogus corporations and wore wigs and makeup to fool lenders.

“Davis and Evins built an elaborate scheme on deception — impersonating professional athletes, fabricating credentials, and even disguising themselves to close the deal. … Those who exploit others’ reputations for personal gain will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice,” Marlo Graham, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement.

Per last month’s complaint, Plack’s company offered the quarterback’s NFL contract to All Pro as collateral. The lender says, however, that Plack had “ample opportunity” to better interrogate the person pretending to be Penix, “but failed to do so.”

“We, myself or my company, didn’t provide any in-depth analysis of anything,” Plack told The Sun. “We passed along the information, and they made their own decision.”

An attorney representing All Pro in the civil suit did not respond to a request for comment.