San Diego Chargers pass rusher Dwight Freeney was the victim of a $3 million fraud scheme from 2010 to 2011, according to Jonathan Horn of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Dwight Freeney cheated out of $3 million, per report
Freeney was the victim of a fraud scheme that cost him $3 million, according to the IRS.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Citing a release from the Internal Revenue Service, Horn says that Michael Stern, 53, has been sentenced to five years of prison and was ordered to pay nearly $2.6 million in restitution to Freeney.
A member of the Indianapolis Colts at the time, Freeney was introduced to Stern in February 2010 by financial advisor Eva Weinberg, who is scheduled to be sentenced for her involvement in the scheme later this month. After the meeting, the IRS says Stern fraudulently gained access to personal and business bank accounts belonging to Freeney and made 400 separate fraudulent transactions that totaled $3 million in losses for the linebacker.
Freeney, 33, signed a two-year, $8.75 million deal with the Chargers in May that can total as much as $13.35 million through incentives. He previously played with the Colts on a six-year, $72 million extension that he signed in 2007.
A first round selection in the 2002 NFL Draft, Freeney is 21st all-time in sacks with 108, but tallied just 0.5 sacks in 2013 before a torn quadriceps muscle ended his season after only four games.
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